


Three Nights in the Floating World

by ErlenmeyerKat



Category: Seduce Me (Visual Novel)
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Geisha, Seduce me AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-27 18:24:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8411824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErlenmeyerKat/pseuds/ErlenmeyerKat
Summary: A geisha is not a courtesan, nor do they accept payment for a few hours of the pleasure of the flesh. Geisha are living art, moving through the floating world. Apart from the world of man, they are beauty personified to be looked upon and listened to with appreciation as they light the darkness of night. They are flowers, whose mystery allows entertainment and conversation in confidence, without expectation or attachment. It was for precisely that reason that the brothers attended the ochaya, the tea house, to usher their youngest brother into the elite delights of men…





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SapphireNova24](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphireNova24/gifts).



A geisha is not a courtesan, nor do they accept payment for a few hours of the pleasure of the flesh. Geisha are living art, moving through the floating world. Apart from the world of man, they are beauty personified to be looked upon and listened to with appreciation as they light the darkness of night. They are flowers, whose mystery allows entertainment and conversation in confidence, without expectation or attachment.  
  
It was for precisely that reason that the brothers attended the ochaya, the tea house, to usher their youngest brother into the elite delights of men…  
  
\--  
  
Mika gracefully rose from her mirror, her make-up perfect. Her slippers were switched for the plum pair with the same delicate pink painted blossoms and embroidery to match her Kimono. Her obi was pale lavender with more blossoms and a silver silk belt, its ends draping behind her in the Kyoto style of a maiko of her rank. The colors brought out the green of her eyes. Still a student, the barest red embroidery touched along the edge of her collar to indicate she was on the very cusp of becoming a full geisha.  
  
Her onee-san, or big sister, Kaiko smiled at her as she entered the room and handed Mika her wrapped shamisen. The stringed instrument, with it’s bachi to pick and strum the strings, was delicately wrapped in silk, much as Mika was.  
  
“Rumor has it that the brothers will be at Ichiriki tonight and so you will be as well.” K gave Mika a conspiratorial wink.  
  
“But K, how?” It was the most exclusive of establishments in Gion. Only the top geisha were allowed to attend upon its guests. And the brothers… they were among the most elite, their names whispered with dreams and desire woven into them.  
  
“And just who do you think you are speaking with?” K asked with playful insult. She raised one delicate brow as Mika blushed beneath her powder. It was true. As K’s imouto-san, Mika’s mentor could bring her along if she chose to attend the tea house. K was a well-known geisha of the district and mother of their House. She was almost as powerful as the men that attended the ochaya, if not more.  
  
“You continue to study and have well exceeded the others with your skills. Tonight is our opportunity to show you off to the true men of the world. It will be your personal debut.”  
  
“You’re not coming?” Mika tried to hold back the panic she felt.  
  
“Of course I'm coming, but not in my traditional dress. No. Tonight, you will be the flower of the evening.” K smiled down at her. Mika tried not to bite her lip. “What is it?”  
  
“There are rumors that the brothers are muma, demons of lust.” Mika blushed further. She had not yet known the touch of a man and as a geisha, would not be expected to. If any such thing were to occur, it would be at her own discretion. K would not sell her to any danna. She was very clear that Mika would choose her own patrons, should any wish to take the role. That was what set K’s house apart from the other okiya, but Mika was still a slave. Her debt still remained. It made her nervous.  
  
“Mika, all the rich and powerful men of Ichiriki are demons of lust.” K laughed.  
  
-  
  
Stepping from the street through the front entrance, the five brothers entered the grounds of the tea house with welcomes. Warriors of unsurpassed skill, they brought victory to any battlefield, their honor legendary. Looking up through the opened screens as they passed in the courtyard, they could see Ichiriki was busy. The tables of the main room were packed with men of influence gaming, smoking, drinking sake as the geishas flowed around them like the petals of cherry blossoms on a pool. The women acted as hostesses, serving them by hand and entertaining them with art and conversation.  
  
James stepped up into the interior hallway to be greeted by the mother of the house. He nodded respectfully as she bowed and hastened to his side. Garbed in black hakama, the daisho at his belt revealed his samurai status as it did his other brothers, each of them garbed similarly but for their obi, their sashes in their colors of preference. His was amber to match the eyes shining behind his spectacles.  
  
“Mother.” James flashed a warm smile to the old woman, using the term of endearment she preferred.  
  
“James! You and your brothers have come to pay my house a visit? It has been too long. I thought you may have forgotten me.”  
  
“Never, mother. It’s been a long road this time, but we have returned, seeking refreshment and rest.”  
  
“And a little entertainment?” She teased, flashing a knowing smile.  
  
“A little.” James admitted with a half-smile.  
  
“Okaa-san.” Erik stepped forward with his own embellished bow. He flipped his coppery-pink bangs out of his eyes and winked at her, earning a chuckle.  
  
“Erik. No breaking any of the girls' hearts tonight.” The old woman warned him. “It takes me weeks to get them back to decent work,” she chided the rogue.  
  
“Okaa-san, we’ve brought our youngest brother.” Matthew’s bright blue eyes shone as he caught her attention.  
  
“Matthew.” She smiled to him warmly. “Either cut your hair or grow it long, dear boy. That length cannot be comfortable.” His flush made her laugh again and she placed a hand on his wrist for a moment to soften her scold as he recovered and gestured to the youngest brother of the five.  
  
Damien was hanging back, startled as Sam grabbed him with a grin and shoved him forward with a “Go on.” muttered under his breath.  
  
“Oh, let the boy be shy, Sam. You were, your first visit here.”  
  
“I was not!” Sam denied as Erik, James and Matthew chuckled. “Shut up!” He glared at them.  
  
Mother took Damien’s hand in both of hers, making him look down into her squinting eyes. “You are a very handsome one.” She took in his copper hair, the bangs hanging into his eyes but not long enough to hide the violet-blue swirl of them. “Water at dusk. You are a quiet one, full of reflection aren’t you?” She whispered to him.  
  
Her thoughts were tender, gentle as they filled Damien’s head. An old mother, looking at adopted sons. Sons that were men in her eyes and that her tea house would provide for. She would find him the quiet place he would need and see he was cared for as she had all his brothers, in hopes he would find Ichiriki a haven and return as well.  
  
“Mother.” Damien gently pulled his hand from hers and bowed deeply to her. He already liked it here, despite the turmoil of thoughts beyond the sliding doors into the main room. He should have known James would find the perfect place to take him.  
  
Damien was still embarrassed that they were bringing him to claim his place among the samurai “as a man”. His sex life wasn’t anyone’s business. But he also knew a part of him wanted it, desperately. He’d seen his older brothers return, his mind reading giving him their thoughts and memories of their nights at the tea house and the beautiful women they had each chosen to be patrons of. The geisha were the closest thing to wives for warriors such as they, not wanting to burden a woman with the threat of a husband dying on the battlefield on any given day. Perhaps one day they would retire, but until then, this gave them the female companionship they craved.  
  
Companionship that he would experience for the first time, more than a wish in the night.  
  
The old woman looked Damien up and down.  
  
“Three nights.” she offered. Erik’s brows rose and James’ smile widened.  
  
“No way.” Sam complained.  
  
“Awesome!” Matthew laughed, knowing they’d all get to stay that long if Mother was granting the time to his younger brother.  
  
As proprietor of the house, she judged her patrons and selected time, place, and companions for their first visit. Her skills were unmatched in divining the perfect stay.  
  
Mother clapped her hands and five serving girls appeared. “Private rooms, upstairs,” she ordered, “The main suite for our guest of honor, and the premiere salon for the evening.” The boys cheered as James nodded to the old woman, subtly passing her a fat purse of coin as Damien blinked in confusion. “But first, the bath house,” she commanded. "You are all covered in dust and sweat."  
  
“Thank god.” Erik moaned, looking forward to being clean. “This is why I love you so much!” He quickly gave the old woman a hug and she slapped him away with an indulgent smile.  
  
“Off with you, rascal!” Mother called after him as one of the girls led him away, before being surprised by Matthew’s hug and Sam’s.    
  
James placed a hand on Damien’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze in support. _No one has ever been granted three nights._ He thought to his baby brother, proudly. _We’ve all only ever been granted two. You’ve impressed her._ James smiled and stepped forward to give the old woman his own hug before leaving Damien alone with her.  
  
“Your life will change before you walk back through that door. I can see it, young Damien, just as I see you standing before me.” Mother confided to him. “Do not hesitate to ask for what you want. No matter what it may be.” Mother gestured and one of the young servants stepped up beside him. The girl’s thoughts were curious about him as she waited to escort him to the baths.  
  
“Thank you, Mother.” Damien bowed once more before she shooed him away as well.


	2. First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The floating world.

A geisha's life is filled with subtlety. Each delicate motion, each second of interaction has the potential to speak volumes if you understand the meanings within the mystery. A bashful smile, a show of the wrist, the briefest meeting of the eyes, and a man can be captured into her world.  
  
\--  
  
K and Mika arrived at the tea house to find it already filled with geisha who did not appear to want to leave for other venues. It was unusual. The hostesses typically circled through the district to meet with as many clients as possible in order to stay atop their interest and maintain popularity within the talk of the hama. It appeared everyone, geisha and patrons, had decided this was the place to be.  
  
"Wait here. I’ll see if I can find a way for us to enter." K gave Mika's wrist a gentle squeeze in support before making her way into the crowd within the courtyard. Mika watched her weave between the people, stopping to converse or flash a smile, only to move a little further forward through them. Soon K was out of sight.  
  
Nervous, Mika lowered her head, holding her shamisen gently to her chest. When she risked looking up, she found herself meeting the eyes of curious men through the opened screens of the building as well as the threatening gazes of the geisha around them. Someone bumped her and she almost stumbled on her sandals. Heart pounding at the near miss, Mika made her way to the edge of the crowd. The back corner of the courtyard was empty and she took a moment to catch her breath.  
  
Looking back, she saw that the crowd had closed behind her to block her out of the line completely. It disappointed her. She would never make it into the ochaya now, but she was grateful for the fresh air she could gulp into her lungs after the press of so many people.  
  
"You, maiko." A short old woman waved at her from the back steps of the covered walkway that encircled the building. Mika turned to her in surprise. "Such a sweet maiko. You would help an old woman, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Oh! Of..of course." Mika glanced quickly over her shoulder at the crowd but K was no where to be seen. Perhaps she could help the woman and make it back before K returned?  
  
“Do not worry about your onee.” The old woman beckoned her, “Follow.”  
  
The servant led Mika along the walk, further and further from the crowd until they were walking alongside quiet gardens, a large pond with a pavilion reflecting the moonlight in the distance. Mika had not known the tea house was this big! It was like they were in a whole different world.  
  
"Wait here." The old woman instructed, before sliding open a door and disappearing into the darkness within. The screen slid closed behind her to leave Mika on the walk, alone.  
  
Mika waited. The moon was slowly beginning it's ascent and the air was cool. The sound of crickets and the dance of fireflies among the plants beyond the edge of the walk lulled her.  
  
Suddenly, she heard the slide of another screen further up the walk and a geisha and her maiko stepped out. The older woman frowned, her face twisting cruelly as she led her little sister down the walk towards Mika.  
  
"I did not come here to serve tea to some commoner boy." The geiko complained, nastily. "Whoever said the brothers were here lied. Come, we'll find better. Anywhere would be better than this run-down shack," she snapped. The geisha stormed past Mika, not acknowledging her bow. She did not even bother with the delicate steps they were known for, causing the other maiko to hurry awkwardly after her, the girl’s head down.  
  
Mika blinked, looking about her at the night-flowering garden. Its delicate scent laced the air. The ornate carving of the pillars, even the small hand-painted designs in the very corners of the screens, spoke of elegance. A shack? This place is beautiful! She turned back towards the other geisha, only to see the shadows close over them, leaving her alone once more as their voices faded into the quiet sounds of the garden.  
  
_How strange,_  she thought when she heard a small sigh.  
  
Curious, Mika stepped towards the open screen to see a hallway, a tea tray left on the floor beside another open door. Trying to be as quiet as she could, she entered. Mika shut the screen behind her and turned to peek into the room.  
  
She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting but she didn't expect to find a boy her age kneeling alone at a table. His head hung down, his hair still damp from a bath. His plain yukata was dark grey, making his coppery hair shine brightly in contrast with the lantern light.  
  
A guest, left alone, his hostess abandoning him in judgment.  
  
Mika fought to quench the fire of anger in her chest. Leaning her shamisen against the wall, she crouched to pick up the tray. K may be looking for her, the servant as well. She might be losing the opportunity of a lifetime for a danna, but she didn't care. Here was a guest, as alone as her heart felt everyday in the okiya. She would not abandon him. Taking a deep breath, Mika straightened and stepped into the room.  
  
_May he find pleasure in my company,_ she silently prayed.  
  
Damien shifted as the new thoughts ran through his mind: quieter, gentler than those of the woman who had forced her way in past the servants. His brothers were still bathing, still preparing for the evening banquet to come. He had hoped for some tea and quiet before the excitement of the evening.  
  
Curious, Damien watched the pretty maiko as she entered the room, taking the tiny, graceful steps to smoothly approach the table. Wrapped in a purple and silver kimono of katsamura silk, she moved with grace, the ends of her obi draped down her back. Her midnight hair was pinned up with silver and gold combs. A hair ornament of hand painted ivory flowers draped from the top of her head, swinging as she moved. She knelt beside him and placed the tray on the table, the whisper of the silk of her kimono the only sound.  
  
Nervous, Mika bowed her head and looked up at Damien from beneath her lashes.  
  
"Please, allow me to serve you."  
  
Damien froze as her eyes briefly met his. They were bright green and shining like jade beads. A dazed smile broke out across his face as a single thought passed through her mind.  
  
_Let me bring you happiness tonight._  
  
"Damien. Please, call me Damien." He offered his personal name to her, offering a level of familiarity she was unaccustomed to.  
  
"Damien." Mika tried the word out, her voice breathy as the syllables flowed. Her head straightened to allow their eyes to meet in earnest. _So handsome, with kind and gentle features,_ she thought. _How could anyone have ever left him?_  
  
“My name is Mika,” she quietly replied.  
  
Mika blushed as he stared at her, finding herself in more familiar territory as she saw the spark of interest in Damien's eyes. Thankful that he was allowing her to do this, she lifted the tea pot and carefully held the lid on as she tipped it.  
  
"It is your first time here?" Mika asked him gently, rolling into the conversation she was used to holding as she handed him his cup. Their fingers brushed lightly, making her look away shyly.  
  
"Yes." Damien flushed, torn between watching her hands as she poured her own cup and staring at her, waiting to see if her eyes would meet his again.  
  
They did.  
  
"It is mine as well." Mika confided in him, her smile a flash of relaxed truth. They were kindred spirits this night. Damien's eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled back at her.  
  
_Like one of the temple cats, smiling into the sunshine,_ Mika thought. Damien chuckled.  
  
Pulling herself from her dreaming, Mika gently lifted her cup to her lips, taking a small sip. They drank the tea in silence, Mika sensing that Damien preferred the quiet. She was content to just enjoy his companionship as well.  
  
The tea was warm and delicate in its flavor, it's complexity spreading along Damien’s tongue over time as he savored it. He watched Mika, listening to her thoughts as she enjoyed the delicacy while also experiencing it, himself.  
  
His eyes wandered to her bright red lips, the delicate bow that allowed the barest sight of the tip of her tongue as it slid between them to lick the tea from them. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Would the red smudge? Would she taste of tea and the sweet flavor of plum like the colored silk of her kimono hinted at?  
  
Mika's cheeks blushed beneath her powder again as she noticed Damien studying her. He was in fact very handsome, her mind decided, and she wished she could keep that smile shining all night.  
  
They both jumped as a tap sounded at the door before the screen slid open. The serving girl had arrived to escort Damien to the evening's banquet. The two rose from the table together and Mika bowed her head to him. "Thank you for…" Damien's hand reached out for hers and Mika paused, staring at it a moment before blinking and looking up at him.  
  
"Come with me." He urged her. The serving girl looked at Mika, surprised to see a different maiko attending him, before shrugging and accepting it.  
  
Excited that she would get her wish for more time with him, Mika gave a demure nod and laid her fingertips upon his forearm. Realizing his mistake, Damien quickly changed his posture to escort her, resting his own slightly trembling hand atop hers.  
  
–-  
  
The banquet was small, but loud compared to the quiet room they had left. Damien was seated at the place of honor, his two eldest brothers at his left and the two middle brothers at the right. They'd arranged for James and Matthew to be the two beside Damien, Erik and Sam already mouthing off to each other from across the room as the geisha poured them sake.  
  
The other women glanced at Mika in surprise for a moment. A maiko without her onee present was practically unheard of, but none of the eyes turned aggressive or judgmental as Mika bowed to them all in deference before kneeling beside Damien on his left.  
  
"I see you've found a companion." James' warm brown voice matched his yukata as it rumbled in Mika's ears. It made her want to reach for Damien's arm again.  
  
"It's more like she found me." Damien admitted. He chuckled and reached under the small table to give her hand a brief squeeze, to her surprise.  
  
"Really?" Matthew perked a brow, his own robe a startling blue and white. It matched his eyes, playful as the summer sky.  
  
"That has a way of happening around here, brother." Garbed in scarlet, Erik grinned and toasted Damien with his sake cup. The two geisha, one on either side of him, hid their smiles behind their sleeves. He led the others to raise their own cups and toast their youngest brother.  
  
Mika quickly poured sake for Damien as she realized his need and watched as he lifted the cup to his lips. Damien drank, the liquor burning it's way down his throat, making him cough and his eyes water as his brothers laughed around him.  
  
That was when Mika realized it. His brothers were celebrating with Damien. His brothers. THE brothers. She tried to glance around the room without making it obvious, her heart starting to pound in her chest as she saw Sam turn to brush the cheek of the geisha beside him. His deep green yukata slid back to reveal his muscular arm, tan and scarred from the slash of a blade.  
  
_Damien was one of the brothers._  
  
These men, lounging comfortably in their yukata, were the samurai of legend. Her eyes went to each as she recalled their names. James the leader, known for being hard as stone in his determination; Sam, known for his strength to beat back entire armies of men; Erik, whispered to weave illusion and call oni upon his enemies; and Matthew, the assassin in the shadows, ending fights before they even begin. Damien was one of them; the final one that everyone knew so little about but was whispered to know everything about the enemy as he stood at James' side.  
  
Mika didn't notice the worry that crept into Damien's features. She didn't see how he looked over at her, watching, as the first course of the meal was served. His breath caught as he read her thoughts and James glanced over, noticing his brother's distress and Mika's wide eyes as she processed it.  
  
She was here, with the brothers. She was being hostess to the guest of honor!  
  
_Please. Please, don't let me mess this up._ She prayed fervently in her head. She was just a little maiko, without her big sister even. _Please..._ Mika looked up, glancing around the room at all of them once more.  
  
“Finally!” Sam groaned as his bowls were placed before him. He picked up his chopsticks to start shoveling food in his mouth. The geisha beside him laughed and offered him more sake.  
  
“I’ve really been looking forward to this!” Matthew admitted as well, nodding his thanks towards the servants with a smile before offering a bowl to his companion and picking up his own.  
  
Erik chuckled as one of the girls beside him chose a delicacy from his plate for him. While James chose an ebi, smiling and commenting to the geisha holding the bowl up to him as he plucked it up with his chopsticks and tried it. The large shrimp looked small compared to his hands.  
  
_No matter what people think or say about them, these brothers are just men,_ Mika realized. _Men who live and laugh and can be hurt or nervous, just like anyone else._ She had seen it with her own eyes, when she first met Damien. He really did deserve the best she could provide him, though she could already feel her doubts in her abilities rising in her mind.  
  
Mika tightened one hand slowly into a fist beneath the table, under the drape of her sleeve. She could do this. Damien was sweet and gentle and the others in the room had welcomed her with kind eyes and smiles. She might not be good enough, but she would try.  
  
She turned back to find Damien watching her again. His hand met her wrist beneath the table, his fingers sliding over the fabric of her sleeve before gliding up into her cuff to rub gently over her hand. A flare of heat, nerves, and excitement ran up her arm. She released her clenched fist as her unsure eyes met his and the smile returned to his face as he moved his hand over hers, their fingers threading together.  
  
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and in that moment of kind understanding, Mika vowed to take care of him tonight. She didn’t care what anyone else said, what she had heard whispered in the rumors of the hama. He was Damien to her.  
  
"Thank you." Damien whispered as if he could hear her thoughts.  
  
–-  
  
The night progressed. The food was eaten, stories shared, laughter more often than not ringing through the night air. They were easy to talk to, all of them, and Mika found herself feeling like a part of them, her body moving closer to Damien’s as they shared whispers of their thoughts on the night’s topics.  
  
Mika's knee accidentally brushed against his, the contact setting off her nerves and making Damien even more aware of her presence beside him. They grew silent as the contact between them became their whole world, trying not to tremble, neither wanting to pull away and praying the other didn’t, either. Damien wished he was bold enough to reach for her hand again, but the tables had been removed from the room. He couldn't do so without being seen.  
  
Additional cushions were brought, allowing the men to lounge as the women knelt beside them. Their attention drifted to the musicians that set up in the corner of the room opposite from James. It was time for the night’s entertainments to begin, each geisha performing once for the enjoyment of all in the room.  
  
Mika held her breath and watched as one quoted poetry. Another performed an elaborate fan dance. The two geisha that were with Erik sat, one singing while the other played the flute in accompaniment. The geisha attending James caught Mika’s eye in inquiry and Mika felt her nervousness flare. The only other geisha left, she was offering for Mika to go next as the last entertainment was often required to be more elaborate than the others. It was now or never.  
  
She would have to perform.  
  
Mika rose and blinked. _Her shamisen!_ She had left it in the hallway. She panicked for a moment before a servant stepped up to her, handing Mika the precious instrument, still wrapped in its silk. They had brought it for her. Bowing to the servant in thanks, she took it to the stage. Mika reverently unwrapped it and settled herself in a kneeling position on the mat, the instrument lightly resting against her leg. Black and white, with red highlights and bachi to strike the strings and skin, it shone clearly for her audience. A few soft strums and the strings were tuned with minimal adjustment.  
  
Taking a deep breath and holding the bachi in her right hand, Mika tapped the rhythm on the skin, closing her eyes to feel it within her. She struck the strings, building a pulse of sound that broke into fragments as her fingers moved and slid along the instrument's neck. The notes rang clear in the air, like drops of rain, spattering about her. The rhythm shifted into almost a gallop. Her fingers flew through flourishes and their echoes as she let the notes skip and dance, alternating them with string strikes on the chords.    
  
Mika paused to open her eyes and give a shout with the other musicians in the room, before letting her hands jump back into the intricate dance along the instrument. Her eyes caught James smiling as he watched, Sam and Matthew bobbing their heads to the rhythm, while Erik studied her hands. It almost made her skip a step, seeing him so engrossed, and she quickly turned her eyes from him only to be caught by Damien’s.  
  
His gaze was intent as he watched her vibrancy. Mika loved the shamisen, the feeling, the energy of freeing the notes from the strings. It was like two crickets playing and she delighted in it, picking up the pace as fast as she could go to show her skills before striking a hard chord and bringing them back to the main rhythm again. She gave one more reprise, repeating the embellishments that made them smile the most, before ending on a last strike and shout.  
  
Their applause filled the room and Mika bowed low, her heart pounding as she smiled in triumph. The geisha complimented her, along with the men, as she made her way back to her seat.  
  
“I really enjoyed your playing.” Damien whispered to her as she knelt back beside him. His eyes danced in the dim light as he welcomed her back, reaching to take her hand in the shadows as the lanterns were dimmed and the final geisha prepared her artistic dance for the room’s pleasure.  
  
“I am very happy to hear it.” Mika bowed her head to him. Damien gently squeezed her hand making her glance around the room nervously, only to see that the dance had already started. The others engrossed in the performance, Mika took the opportunity to shyly squeeze his hand back. Damien shifted closer, his leg once again resting against hers and Mika’s breath caught. In the dark, she could turn and see his outline, see the reflection of the light from the stage in his eyes and on his profile.  
  
Damien glanced at her from the corner of his eye and saw Mika watching him. Feeling bold, he leaned over to whisper in her ear. To the others, it looked as though he spoke; but rather than saying anything, his lips gently brushed across her cheek. Mika let out a faint gasp. She kept herself still to maintain the appearance of whispering, only to hear him chuckle, his breath tickling her ear. She forced herself not to squirm, her hand squeezing his again.  
  
Damien leaned even closer, his lips caressing the lobe of her ear before he murmured to her.  
  
“Your turn.”  
  
Mika’s eyes went wide as he leaned back, giving her a playful look. She glanced around the room. Everyone else was watching the dance intently, though the movement of a hand and brief whispers were common among the couples. She noticed Erik’s hand resting on the leg of one of his companions, stroking the silk gently as he whispered to her, a wide smile spreading across her face.  
  
It was unlike any other gathering she had ever attended. Geisha did not typically become physically involved with their clients. Were they their danna? Mika wondered what K would say if she were here. These people seemed more like a family than geisha and clients, like wives and husbands. Even as she watched, the playfully lighthearted flirting and coy banter was shifting into something much more intimate. Did she want to follow it?  
  
The final performance ended and Mika quickly returned her attention to the dancer, applauding with everyone else before Damien claimed her hand again. The lights slowly came up in the room. Along with the final entertainment, the banquet itself was coming to a close.  
  
Usually Mika and K would have left by now. Erik was already through the doors with his companions, while Matthew rose with his own hostess. Mika wasn’t sure what she should do. The young geisha with Matthew caught Mika’s eye and gave a shy smile. She pulled her fan from her sleeve and tipped it, quickly going through the motions that were a secret language all their own.  
  
_These are our danna. Our choice. Choose for yourself._  
  
The geisha with Sam followed, her own closed fan swinging almost negligibly in her grip. _I ‘d recommend saying yes._ The woman smiled at Mika then, a true smile, as Sam pulled her closer to him. He looked over his shoulder to wish Mika and Damien a good night before following James out the door.  
  
And just like that, they were alone again. Her older sisters were heading upstairs to be with the brothers, hosting in a different way that Mika did not know. Her nerves fluttered in her stomach as Damien squeezed her hand once more, making her realize they had been holding hands with the room re-lit, for all to see as they walked past to leave. A blush flared out over her cheeks.  
  
“It’s all right.” Damien kept his voice low, neither of them wanting to fill the large empty space with noise. “Come with me.”  
  
Mika hesitated as Damien rose, eyeing him warily.  
  
“We’re not going upstairs.” He explained patiently. “I just don’t want the night to end quite yet,” he admitted.  
  
She didn’t want it to end yet, either.  
  
Mika rose and let Damien lead her across the room, realizing the doors along the far wall slid open onto a small, private balcony lined with a bench of cushions and overlooking the gardens. Delighted to see the moonlit pond, the gentle lapping of the water among the reeds made her relax once more as the doors slid closed behind them. Damien guided her to sit before sitting beside her, turning a little to lean over the pillows and look out into the night.  
  
“I’m sorry.” He apologized. “I didn’t mean to rush things. Your music was just so beautiful, and your eyes, and...” He blew out a breath causing his bangs to rise and fall. It was such a casual gesture, Mika couldn’t help but giggle. Surprised, Damien looked back at her.  
  
“I liked it.” She confided in him. “Don’t be surprised.” She gave a light tease. No one was here. She could be herself. She had a feeling he wanted her to be herself too, just for him.  
  
“How do you do that?” Damien asked, amazed.  
  
“Do what?”  
  
“It’s like you can read my mind.” The words came from his mouth with a broken chuckle, his look turning awkward.  
  
“Maybe it’s because sometimes we are both thinking the same thing.” Her eyes danced in the moonlight before looking back over the water.  
  
“Mika?” Damien asked, his mood turning serious.  
  
“Hmm?” She hummed, turning to find him right there, his face mere inches from hers.  
  
“Mika, may I kiss you?” Damien's eyes dropped down to look at her lips.  
  
Mika’s breath caught. She had never kissed a man before. She had never really wanted to, until now. She would be a geisha soon. It was Damien’s night and she was here with him. Mika realized there was no one she would rather share her spring with before the heat of her summer came.    
  
“Didn’t I just tell you?” Mika smiled sweetly at him, stealing his breath. “Sometimes we are both thinking the same thing.”    
  
Damien’s relieved smile turned into something more. His eyes met hers intently as his hand lifted to caress her cheek, holding her in place as he moved closer. Mika’s eyes slipped closed as Damien leaned down, his lips the lightest pressure against hers. Her body trembled and his hand shook nervously. It was awkward and ticklish, making Mika want to pull back; but then Damien leaned in, the kiss growing more firm, his lips caressing hers as his fingers slid to the nape of her neck. He massaged the muscles there, his fingertips smudging the white powder stripes across her bare skin as his mouth claimed another kiss. He led her to kiss him back as he slowly pulled her closer.  
  
The contact was magical. How they managed to breathe, Mika had no idea. She caught small gasps of air as she slid over the bench to be wrapped in Damien's arms. He pulled her to half-lie over him as he laid back, sinking into the pillows and rubbing his hands over her silk-clad shoulders. Her own hands pressed against his chest. She could feel the firm muscles beneath, hidden under the silk of his loose-fitting yukata.  
  
“You can touch me.” Damien murmured as he pulled back, putting one hand on her wrist to guide her to the edge of his robe. His other hand loosened his belt to let the fabric slide back and reveal his bare, muscular chest. “Go ahead. I want to feel you touch me.” He smiled up at Mika as she marveled at his body. Her fingertips trailed over the firm ridges, sliding up along his sternum to trace his collar bones.  
  
“Like this?” she asked tentatively. She wasn’t shying from him, she just didn’t want to do it wrong.  
  
“However you wish.” Damien slid his hands back over her shoulders, pulling her collar open a little wider to let him lean up and kiss her neck. Mika gasped at the sensation, heat pooling in her belly, making her want to melt over him. Her hands slid up to grip his own bare shoulders to try and steady herself.  
  
“I wish...” Mika gasped.  
  
“Yes?” Damien pulled back to meet her eyes.  
  
“I wish you’d kiss me again.” Mika smiled.  
  
Delighted, Damien drew her down as he leaned up to meet her. He deepened their kiss, this time gently pressing his tongue against her lips. Mika made a small sound and he felt her open her mouth to him. She was sweet. Damien lapped playfully up to stroke her tongue with his, making her squeak at the new sensation. Carefully Mika answered him, moving to meet his tongue, feeling his hands slide up into her hair.  
  
She ran her hands over his chest once more, with more confidence this time, the multitude of sensations making her feel like she was drowning in him and she never wanted him to let her go. Slowly the moon set beyond the trees and buildings, plunging them into darkness though they didn’t notice.  
  
When Mika finally sat up, she realized a couple locks of her hair had fallen out of its ornate style. Her kimono collar was pulled open to reveal the slightest swell of flesh where Damien had kissed and lightly traced his fingers over the exposed skin, the makeup rubbed away.  
  
Damien’s hair was a mess. Mika discovered sometime in the middle of their shy exploration that she liked running her fingers through his hair. Sitting up himself, he turned to her and she couldn’t hold back her giggle at his pleased, dazed expression. She was sure she looked like a mess, but he was absolutely adorable. His lips held some of the red pigment of her own, smudged more than a little.  
  
Damien laughed with her, pulling out a handkerchief to help fix her make-up as best he could. He scrubbed at the pigment on his own lips as she tucked her hair back into some semblance of order, using her combs to hide the damage. He couldn’t help but lean over and nibble at her ear as she straightened her robes. Mika shooed him away. The sky was starting to lighten and she needed to get back to her house before K sent someone to search for her.  
  
“You need to go.” Damien’s voice barely held his sorrow in check. It wasn’t a question. The statement caught oddly at Mika’s heart.  
  
“Yes.” She nodded.  
  
“Come back to me tomorrow. I’ll still be here.” He urged her, his hand clasping hers. Mika smiled at Damien patiently. As mother of the okiya, it all depended on K.  
  
“Don’t you mean today?” She teased, not wanting to voice that she might never see him again. The thought made her want to cry.  
  
“Yes.” Damien’s face turned glum anyway. “Today. I want to see you again, tonight.”  
  
“I want to see you too, but...” Mika bit her lip. She had other clients. She didn’t know what her schedule was. Only K knew it.  
  
“Don’t worry.” Damien smoothed the frown lines from between her eyes with a fingertip. “I will arrange for you to be back. Trust me.” He gave a little chuckle.  
  
“All right.” Mika nodded. She wanted to trust him. She’d trusted him this far and it had been a night she would never forget, with a man she would never forget: Damien of the sweet kisses.  
  
“Allow me to take you home.” Damien took her hand and guided Mika back into the tea house. The hallways were quiet, the servants hurrying to assist them despite the late, or early, hour.  
  
Damien rode with Mika in the rikisha to see her to her own gate safely. K was still up, meeting Mika at the door. It prevented Mika from being able to kiss Damien goodbye. She only managed to squeeze his hand as he helped her down out of the vehicle. Their eyes watched each other as he was taken away. Mika sighed and turned to meet the concerned eyes of her big sister. They would have to talk before Mika could sleep.  
  
Damien returned to his room in silence to stretch out on the bed. He wanted to stay awake a little longer, to lock everything into his memory, but sleep took him. He dreamt of green eyes and long, soft black hair.  
  
The first night had passed.


	3. Second Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world of flowers and willows.

The geisha dwells in a world of beauty, bringing those around her into its gardens. The home of the flower and the willow, all within are perfectly cultivated to be remembered and cherished in the brief time before they fade. Behind a painted mask, she hides her face. Upon her okobo, her feet never touch the earth. For she is not of our world, but a delicate spirit, born in that place between the days when dreams prevail.  
  
\--  
  
Mika sat in the rikisha, excitement warring with nerves until she tapped into her training, taking slow, deep breaths. She was garbed in a silk kimono of violet and light browns this time. A portion of her hair had been left out from the ornate knot atop her head, her golden combs placed to let it flow down her back in a soft black wave to her obi.  
  
K had herded her up the stairs and into Mika’s bedroom last night, as soon as Damien was out of sight. She helped Mika prepare for bed, her kimono carefully removed, a servant bringing her water and soap to bathe. K did not ask Mika any questions, even as her fingers ran over the red smudge on the edge of her collar. Her sharp eyes took in the blurred lines on the nape of Mika’s neck before the soapy sponge removed all traces of her time with Damien.  
  
“K...” Mika had wanted to explain, but her onee only shushed her, guiding Mika to her futon upon the tatami to sleep.  
  
“Get your rest.” K had said with a gentle smile as Mika looked up at her, confused. “You will return to Ichiriki tonight.”  
  
The driver ran through the late afternoon streets, the rikisha bouncing a little with his steps. Mika had slept, though she had not thought it possible. She had slept better than she could ever remember, dreaming of violet-blue eyes and a soft laugh, the feel of Damien’s gentle kiss upon her lips. Her blush was still burning beneath her powder as the rikisha stopped before the gates of Ichiriki. Once again Mika marveled as she was helped down from her seat. The outer wall of the tea house was not nearly as wide as she remembered. Perhaps the ochaya shared space with the other buildings beside it on the street?  
  
Arriving much earlier than she had the evening before, there were only a few groups of patrons and geisha lined up in the courtyard waiting to be allowed entry. Mika had no doubt it would be just as crowded tonight as it was yesterday, once the sun set. Impatient to see Damien, she sighed in resignation and moved to join those already in line.  
  
“Maiko!” Surprised, Mika turned to see the same old woman, beckoning her from the walkway again. “How pretty you look today! Would you still help me?”  
  
Mika flushed, remembering she had left before the woman returned the night before, tending to Damien rather than helping her. He had said he would see her tonight, but the sun had not yet set. There was still time and Mika would not deny the old servant if she needed help.  
  
“Of course.” Mika bowed, carefully stepping up the stairs. It was easier this time without her shamisen.  
  
“Such a good girl. It will not take long.” The old woman once again guided her along the walkway. This time she turned to lead Mika down an ornately decorated, covered walk that ran through the gardens themselves. The plants looked different in the amber light as the sun began to set. Pausing in the midst of the walk, the servant descended into the gardens, a couple of smooth stone stairs leading down onto a worn path. Mika looked about, realizing they were passing through the ornate, trained bushes of a small, private garden where a miniature river flowed over stones along its edge to give the sound of water dancing.  
  
“It’s very beautiful here.” Mika spoke in awe to herself as she looked around. The delicate flowers, the shading cherry trees, the curve of a bridge leading to a small island where a large willow stood, all built a feeling of peace and tranquility.  
  
“Sometimes.” The old woman looked at her, her eyes turning sharp. “The garden only gives what it receives. It is a place of truth, in a world of lies.” Mika glanced at the servant, surprised, before turning back to the greenery.  
  
“Oh!” Mika saw it as they passed and stopped.  
  
A cocoon was hanging from the branches of one of the bushes beside the path, almost hidden among the leaves. Its side was split, the butterfly weakly struggling to emerge. Seeing it, Mika realized it had been trying to free itself for sometime. The very edge of its wrapped wings were caught. Its efforts had it weary now, though it still fought to escape. It tugged at Mika's spirit and she reached for it, wanting to help.  
  
“To help it, is to kill it.” The old woman said, eyeing the maiko. “If it cannot find its own way, it will die, too weak for the world it will enter.”  
  
Mika couldn’t keep the frown from her features.    
  
“To refrain from helping it is to condemn it to death in this world.” Mika knew it was disrespectful, that she should ask forgiveness for her impertinence. It did not matter that the old woman was a servant of the ochaya. Still, Mika’s anger at the dismissal of the creature’s plight would not let her manners over-rule her sense of right.  
  
She reached forward, surprised at how soft the cocoon felt. With just the smallest of brushes with her fingertips, the butterfly slid the last few millimeters of its folded wings from what had once been its home. The insect awkwardly crawled along the outside of the cocoon, trying to hide behind it, and Mika carefully pulled away. She did not want to disturb it any further. It would need to dry its wings, to prepare itself for this new world before it could enter it.  
  
“Now it has the chance to fly.” Mika said with a small smile.  
  
She suddenly remembered just how rude she was being and quickly turned back to the old woman, bowing her head deeply in apology. “Forgive me!” Mika quickly tried to make amends, but was met only with silence. Looking up, Mika realized the servant was gone. She had left Mika alone once more, to wonder in the golden light of the setting sun.  
  
\--  
  
Damien decided to take a walk through the gardens, hoping to work off some of the nervous energy that had built up as he waited for evening to arrive. Little did he know he would find himself lost on the winding paths, the night now quickly approaching. He needed to get back.  
  
His request for Mika’s return had been met with a pleased smile by Mother. “Of course. It has already been arranged. You have two more nights, for your enjoyment.” The old woman had chuckled at him, making Damien blush.  
  
Thoughts of Mika had filled his head all day. It made his brothers smile indulgently as he awkwardly fell in and out of their conversations while they enjoyed a light meal to tide them over until the next banquet.  
  
“Did you at least kiss her?” Sam moaned after trying to get his youngest brother’s attention for the third time.  
  
“With that look? I’m pretty sure he did more than kiss her.” Matthew had teased as Damien stammered at the two of them.  
  
“His evening is his own business.” James had gently chided, giving Damien a wink.  
  
“True.” Erik interjected with his sly smile.  
  
“Unlike yours, Erik.” James continued “Which was loud enough for the servants to experience it in the kitchens below.” He finished with an arched brow for the flirt.  
  
“What can I say?” Erik shrugged. “Suri likes to sing for me.”  
  
“Sometimes, using a little restraint can be a good thing.” James primly replied.  
  
“As I’m sure you enjoyed last night.” Erik replied with a twist to his grin. A blush flowed over James’ cheeks and the brothers chuckled. The thoughts that filled Damien’s head after that had the mind reader flustered and quickly mumbling his excuses before leaving them to their meal. He couldn’t eat anyway.  
  
Damien turned down another path, sure he had not tried this one yet. It led to a curling bridge over one of the streams that fed the garden’s pond. He stopped as he saw the maiko, her umbrella open to shade her from the strong rays of the setting sun.  
  
“Mika!” Damien called, surprised to find her here. Her beauty rivaled the flowers around her.  
  
“Damien.” She turned to him, surprised. Her heart gave a hard jolt as she saw him. Mika watched him hurry, taking long strides down the path and over the bridge, to meet her at its pinnacle. His yukata was dusky purple and grey this time. The light made his hair shine like fire.  
  
He was unlike any other man she had played companion for, Mika thought as he shyly stepped up to her. Damien’s eyes scanned every inch of her, his lips parting as his breath caught. It made her face fill with heat, startling her as she realized he noticed her own stare, his eyes thoughtful. She quickly lowered her gaze and held one sleeve up to hide her shy smile, thinking she had overstepped her bounds.  
  
It is becoming a habit with him, Mika realized. When she served Damien, she wasn’t playing. She truly felt like his companion. These were no longer motions, an intricate script of interaction to provide an “experience”. She wanted to talk with him. She wanted to coax out his smiles and laughter.  
  
She wanted to kiss him again.  
  
Damien gave a small chuckle. “It’s good to see you again.” He admitted, taking the hand that hid her lips and brushing a kiss over her knuckles as he looked into her eyes. He felt her jump and saw the surprise she tried to hold back. If only they could find a quiet spot to resume what they had started last night. Perhaps…  
  
Mika saw Damien glance around as he continued to hold her hand. Realizing what he was up to, she gently pulled away from him to raise her umbrella with both hands once more. “The evening is only beginning. We should return to the ochaya, Damien.”  The words were a reminder that had her own inner self sighing even as they passed her lips. “The banquet must be starting and you are the guest of honor.”    
  
“Was I that obvious?” He asked in chagrin. Mika almost giggled at the sad look he gave her, like a folded-ear kitten denied its treat. His gaze brightened as her amused thoughts sparkled through his mind.  
  
“My lord is impatient.” She admitted with a small smile, knowing she was just as impatient.  
  
Damien quickly shook his head. “I’m no lord, Mika.” His words were somber and he looked away. Placing his hand at the railing, his gaze lowered to see the koi fish flashing and swirling about the stones as they swam in the water below them. If she only knew.  
  
“You are to me.” Mika placed her hand atop his, startling Damien into meeting her eyes once more. “You will always be my lord, to me.” She slowly leaned forward to place the barest touch of her lips at the corner of his mouth before moving past him to return to the tea house. It would not do to mar her make-up for his brothers and the others to see. They were dancing such a fine line with her reputation already, but she would not hold her affection from him. He was special to her and she wanted him to know it.  
  
Damien blinked and turned to look at her in surprise before letting out a small sigh. “You treat me so well.”  
  
“Only because you deserve it.” Her head turned, her gaze sliding up to look at him from the corner of her eye. “And only because it is you.” It stopped Damien’s heart, to see her like that and hear the truth of her words. He looked at her a moment more after she turned away, a silhouette on the delicately painted paper of her umbrella.  
  
“Then please allow me to escort you, my lady.” He smiled before moving to join her at the base of the bridge, offering his arm. Mika took it, a happy curve to her lips. The dream of being lord and lady was attractive and she would save it for a later time.  
  
Together, they shared the umbrella, not noticing as they walked and talked with each other how the path led them straight back to the tea house.  
  
–-  
  
The banquet was arranged to occur out in the gardens this night. Mika and Damien shared their amusement as the young serving girl led them back along the walkways to a pavilion. Set in the middle of the lake, it rested on pylons above the water. Mats were rolled out upon its wooden floor with cushions and low tables, the carved roof and railings giving a feeling of enclosure while still allowing the fresh air and sounds of the night. Most of the other brothers were already there, Sam trading places with Matthew and James sitting further away to leave the space beside Damien open for Erik.  
  
The second oldest approached up the walkway just as Damien sat, Mika bowing her head to Erik before kneeling beside Damien.  
  
“Welcome back, beautiful blossom,” Erik complimented her as he dropped down onto a cushion, one of the geisha from the night before in attendance upon him at his other side.  Mika blushed and turned away to see Damien looking at her for a second before his eyes shifted to Erik’s, his lips thinning.  
  
“I could not stay away.” Mika spoke with a small smile for Damien, her hand reaching beneath the table to find his. “I am but a moth to Damien’s flame.” His brothers were kind, but such attention from them made her uncomfortable, unlike that of the gentle youngest brother. Damien pulled his eyes from Erik and gave her an embarrassed smile.  
  
“Heh, Mika’s too smart to fall for your shit.” Sam laughed at Erik.  
  
“You wound me, dear brother,” Erik mock protested.  
  
“I will if you mess with her," Sam growled in warning.  
  
“Please,” Mika interjected. “Such a compliment is a kind gift obviously meant to flatter my companion, for he is the one to capture me.” Her gaze was earnest as her eyes met Damien’s again for a brief moment. She felt his hand squeeze hers for a second in shared affection.  
  
“Well said,” James commended her.  
  
“Denied!” Matthew laughed.  
  
Erik looked at Mika, impressed. Perhaps she really was good enough for his brother, he thought, catching Damien’s startled expression. “Then I will just have to console myself with this lovely lady here.” Erik turned to his companion who slapped at him with a dainty hand, laughing herself and well aware of his motives.    
  
Relieved that the situation had diffused, Mika turned back to focus on Damien and his needs. He was the brother for her; she wouldn’t have it any other way.  
  
The geisha were even more friendly with her this night, the brothers more relaxed. The excited tension of the first night had moved into the calm of the satisfied. Except for Damien and her. Instead, they were wound even tighter.  
  
Finally laughing at each other's nerves and awkwardness, their hands found each other in secret beneath the table, their bodies finding ways to accidentally brush or touch as the courses were served. It became a game: Mika “accidentally” sliding her wrist over the top of his hand as she moved to pour his sake, Damien reaching to “mistakenly” pick up the wrong teacup and catching her hand in his.  
  
It had him laughing lightly and her blushing and giggling as the last of the dishes were taken away.  
  
The quiet of the water around them and the gentle breeze made the pavilion comfortable and more personal, the light of the lanterns giving a soft glow around the edges and reflecting up in rippling waves on the ceiling of the pavilion. The full moon gave a beautiful contrast, instead sharpening the details of the gardens around them. It provided a natural spotlight as the companions began the night’s entertainments again.  
  
Mika was nervous. She had left her shamisen at the okiya. It would never do to give the same performance twice in a row, but she was unsure what to perform. She hadn't thought to plan for it. K typically chose for her.  
  
Two of the geisha, Sam’s in a golden kimono and Matthew’s in a delicate pink, offered for Mika to do a fan dance with them. Flattered by their generosity and faith in her skills, she drew her fans from her sleeves and gracefully moved to join them on the stage, Damien smiling after her in support. He kept his eyes on her as Mika took her place in the middle between the two geisha, a perfect balance of aesthetics upon the stage.  
  
The musicians struck the first beats and chords and they snapped their front fans open, sweeping them in a wide arc before flipping their back fans open behind them. The dancers held up them up behind their heads to lightly flutter, an impression of birds. As the brothers watched, the three beautiful geisha moved gracefully, their bodies perfectly synchronized. The dance was a traditional one they had all practiced for years in school, almost a meditation for Mika’s nerves.  
  
The three women spun, casting looks about the room to meet the eyes of the men. Their fans spiraled over their heads with a turn of the wrist before lowering them with a spin around their fingers. They tossed their front fans up, catching them with their back hands to hold both at once. Their free hands gracefully wove thorough the air before taking up their fans once more.  
  
Damien’s eyes met Mika’s and she couldn’t hold back her smile as he beamed at her. Enjoying herself, her thoughts were so playful. The fan dance had her feeling like a soaring bird at times or a koi elegantly swimming like those in the pond below them.  A thought crossed her mind and Damien latched onto it, tucking it away for later. It was a perfect idea. In fact…  
  
Damien signaled to one of the serving girls and whispered in her ear as she leaned down to him. They exchanged some nods and quiet phrases before the girl hurried from the room. His gaze returned to see Mika’s curious look and he flashed her a sly grin, taking a page from his brother Erik’s book. He chuckled to himself as she blushed prettily and he understood his brother a little more, deciding to try it again sometime.  
  
Two more turns and the three performers sunk down to bow their heads with a final sweep of their fans, drawing them closed as the last notes reverberated over the water around the pavilion. The applause was heartfelt, Mika feeling closer to the other geisha as they pat and praised her. Once again she was struck by how different it was here. In the other tea houses of the hama, the geisha were more competitive; threatened and more threatening as they fought for popularity and clients. K had always tried to keep Mika out of it, taking her into the more elite or remote gatherings, but even there it wasn’t the same sense of companionship as she felt here.  
  
A part of her wished it would last forever.  
  
Mika smiled as she realized she had been caught in the dream they were weaving this time. The world of the willow and flower, Damien was the bright sun in her garden. She would warm herself as long as she could, she vowed, pushing away the sudden melancholy that threatened as the ghost of how little time they had left brushed her mind. There was plenty of time for rain, later. Denying it entry in her thoughts, she hurried, wanting to kneel back beside him.  
  
The geisha with James gave her pause with a hand on her sleeve. “Mika, I will play the shamisen tonight, but I was wondering if you would sing a kouta while I play?”    
  
Surprised at the request for a little song, Mika glanced past her to see James watching them with a rare smile. His eyes shifted behind his glasses towards Damien behind her before meeting Mika’s meaningfully once again. They were offering her another chance to entertain Damien. James knew his youngest brother loved listening to songs and now Mika did, too.  
  
“I would be very happy to sing with you,” Mika replied gratefully to the geiko.  
  
Damien watched Mika turn back to the stage and gave his brother a small smile, nodding to James in thanks. The eldest brother leaned back to sip from his sake cup, knowing Damien heard his thoughts, pleased that he liked his gift.  
  
Mika knelt upon the mat, looking out over the pavilion. The moon was rising above. The banquet was almost at an end, the couples growing closer once more. The song was light and melodic, its lyrics a tale of the joy of being in the hanamachi, the beauty of the pleasure district. She sang it more to Damien than anyone else, thinking of how it gave comfort to her, despite the hardships of being a maiko.  
  
The discipline, the study, the seclusion, Mika lived with it and her sisters in their okiya. She was privileged. The other geiko of their house was already paired with a maiko, giving K the excuse she had wanted to take Mika under her wing. To have an onee that was also a mother, Mika might one day inherit the okiya.  
  
She smiled at Damien, keeping the sadness from her eyes. The life of a geisha was hard behind the parties and she must never show it. She was the care free spirit, helping those she entertained stand apart from the harshness of reality. She could do no less for Damien. Their dream was a beautiful one, to be cherished for as long as they could.  
  
As the last verse lifted into the air, the shamisen halted with a lingering note. Mika bowed low upon the mat as the audience applauded. Damien stood to meet her as she returned to him and Mika realized the others were rising as well. Her heart dropped a little at the time having passed already, but Damien clasped her hand, bringing it to rest on his arm with a bright smile.  
  
“I am a lucky man tonight. Your singing, your dancing... You are perfect to me,” he told her as Mika ducked her head shyly. The compliment pleased her very much. Damien was perfect to her as well, so attractive and kindhearted. “Will you walk with me?” he asked hopefully.  
  
Mika nodded, unsure of her voice. Thoughts of the night before had her nervous and eager, though she knew better than to let it show. _Calm, a geisha always retains control,_ Mika reminded herself. It was difficult. She wanted to run with him, dance with him, laugh out loud up at the stars in his arms.  
  
Damien gave another chuckle. “Let’s go.”    
  
He guided her from the pavilion as the others wished them a good night, the brothers sharing pleased smiles behind the young couple’s back.  
  
–-  
  
Damien led Mika along, following the subtle markers at the intersections of the paths. He would never have known the small colored stones meant anything without the servant’s guidance.  
  
“Where are we going?” Mika asked, curious.  
  
“You’ll see.”  His eyes lit up as they took another turn through the decorative bonsai and came upon a small wooden gate. Releasing Mika’s hand, Damien pulled away and opened it for her, bowing as she stepped past him into the garden beyond.  
  
It was a hot spring. A small bathhouse was built alongside the large natural stone wall behind the quiet, steaming pool. Pillars bearing lanterns laid their soft, golden reflections on the smooth surface of the dark water as fireflies lazily danced over the lawn leading up to it.  
  
“I never knew.” Mika stared. She had never heard of the tea house having such extensive luxuries.  
  
“Don’t question it.” Damien admonished her lightly as he closed the gate and stepped up to face her. “Just enjoy it.”  
  
Mika flushed, staring up at him for a moment as she realized they were in their own private garden now. Alone. Not a heartbeat passed before Damien pulled Mika into his arms. His head tilted down and she lifted her lips to meet his ardent kiss just as passionately.  
  
It was heated, something both had craved since the moment they met on the bridge and they drowned together. Mika’s mouth opened to his, her hands holding the edges of his yukata as he embraced her tightly. Gasping for breath, they finally parted to stare at each other. So much for her make-up, Mika thought, amused. Damien laughed, brushing his lips with his sleeve quickly.  
  
“Come on.” He kicked his sandals off and Mika hurried to follow him, surprised when he knelt beside her to slide off her tabi socks. His fingertips brushed over the pretty painted nails of her toes before hopping back up and taking both of her hands in his.  
  
“I’ve been wanting to do this all night.” He leaned back and pulled her into a spinning dance with him. Mika felt the soft grass beneath her feet, saw the garden rushing around them. She smiled at Damien, delighted, and he snatched her up to lift her up against him and spin once more as she looked down into his face. Her discipline broke and she laughed out loud, her hands resting on his shoulders, the stars swirling above her. Her eyes danced for him.  
  
“You are so unpredictable.” Mika let her joy in it shine.  
  
“And you are such a joy for me,” Damien replied as he lowered her, Mika’s body sliding down along his. She never realized how tall he was compared to her, only noticing it now that she was no longer wearing her shoes. “Let’s get more comfortable, shall we?” he asked.  
  
She flushed, the thought of his hands on her kimono, undressing her, giving her a moment of panic.  
  
“I'll meet you in the hot spring, okay?” Damien quickly asked instead, backing away a little.  
  
“Of course.” Mika agreed, relieved. She raised a hand to her chest to calm herself down before letting him lead her to the woman’s door of the bathhouse to prepare.  
  
Bathing in mixed company was allowed, the water providing modesty within the intimate setting. She had never been in a hot spring with a man before, a job usually taken by the more experienced geiko to preserve the innocence of the maiko, but K had taught her the skills needed to entertain in a bathhouse in preparation of her coming change to a full geisha.  
  
Stepping out of the bath house in her white nagajuban, Mika removed the thin under-robe just before sliding naked into the warm water behind the shelter of the rocks. Breathing in, her tongue tasted the tang of the minerals in the steam. Mika took the round bamboo tray carrying two small cups and a sake bottle from the edge of the wooden walk beside her. She waded out beyond the natural screen to see Damien already relaxing in the water, waiting for her. He turned to her, admiring her as she approached.  
  
Mika had removed her make-up. Her skin was just as beautiful in his eyes without it. Her hair was tied up to keep it from getting wet. Damien could see her slender shoulders, the soft curves of her chest disappearing into the shadows of the water. His own muscular chest and shoulders rose from the pool as he stood and offered a hand to her, her eyes connecting with his. Damien took the tray from her, letting it float away atop the water, before pulling Mika closer to him and sinking down into the water’s warmth.  
  
She felt the brush of his leg against hers, their bare skin rubbing briefly as they moved, their bodies floating mere inches from each other. Her heart started pounding. Once again Damien’s lips found hers. His hands brushed over her back as the pool gave them the opportunity to touch each other’s bare skin as they both wanted to, without feeling so exposed. Her hands slid over the hard muscles of his chest, drawing an approving hum from him as he pulled their kiss deeper.  
  
Damien purred like the cat he was and growing bold, Mika pulled back to look at him, letting her hands slowly run over his shoulders and back along his collar bones. She lowered them to run her palms down his chest, letting her fingers dance over the ripples of his abs as his heated gaze watched her. She stopped when she reached his belly, his look igniting and his strong hands taking hers.  
  
Damien’s kiss wasn’t as gentle this time. His hunger echoed hers and it lit a spark of want in Mika that had her guiding his hands towards her, silently giving him permission.  
  
She gasped as Damien held her gaze, his hands slowly gliding over her skin as he ran them along her arms and down her sides. He pulled her a little closer, lifting one dripping hand to brush her cheek with his thumb before cradling her head in his hand. Mika leaned into his touch, nuzzling his palm before she felt his other hand run along her ribs. It slowly slid up, rising higher and moving over her in a way that had her breath catching, waiting for his touch. His thumb brushed the underside of her breast and her eyes slid closed, his whispered name escaping her lips as his hand finally slid over her to gently knead.  
  
Damien’s other hand left her cheek and his arm circled her hips. His legs brushed hers again, his thighs spreading to either side of hers as he leaned back against an outcropping of smooth stone within the pool and pulled her forward against him. Lost in the caress of his hand, she leaned into him, her own hands sliding up his chest once more to rest upon his shoulders.  
  
Opening her eyes as both of his hands moved to fondle her, Mika gazed at him from under heavy lids. She saw him and blinked.  
  
Damien’s own eyes had slid closed to savor the feel of her body against him, the smooth softness of her curves in his hands. The look on his face was almost reverent.  
  
The horns on his head were unexpected.  
  
“Damien...” Mika slid her hands down his upper arms to grip them.  
  
His eyes flew open as her thoughts made their way through the haze of pleasure in his own mind.  
  
“Mika, I...” He fumbled to speak, fear of rejection coursing through him. He moved to push her away, but her own hands held them together. What had happened? How had he lost his glamour?  
  
“You have horns.” Mika wondered aloud, before looking down and seeing the black stripes on his skin radiating out from his chest, more markings curling around from the back of his neck. “You really are a demon,” she whispered. Mika reached up and Damien froze in her gaze, holding his breath.  
  
Her fingers brushed the hard ridges of one of the black ram’s horns that curled from Damien’s temples. The feeling of it was intimate to the demon, his horns erogenous, and his eyes slid closed with a moan. The motion in the water beneath Mika made him flush with embarrassment.  
  
She carefully swam back, but only because he seemed so discomforted. Instead, she reached to hold his hands beneath the water.  
  
“It’s all right.” Mika told him, drawing Damien to sit up before moving to sit beside him. She knew what it meant, living in the pleasure district. She also knew she wasn’t ready for that step yet, though she was sorely tempted.  
  
Damien hesitantly opened his eyes. His own thoughts were drowning hers out, leaving him fearing what he would see. Mika sat beside him, shifting to lean against him as she gently smiled at him.  
  
“You… don’t mind?” Damien couldn’t keep the disbelief from his words. She’d realize it. Any moment now she’d realize she was alone with an inhuman beast and would run from him.  
  
“Why would I mind?” She asked, shaking her head in confusion. “This entire place, our time together, it has been nothing but magical to me. Why wouldn’t you be as well?” His cautiousness only proved his consideration for her. He was still the same person who had caught her heart yesterday. Mika’s breath stopped on that thought and she carefully pulled her mind from it as Damien watched her with surprise.  
  
“I think you are wonderful.” Mika said instead. “I may not be ready for...” She left the sentence unfinished, “But I want to make you happy,” she told him earnestly.   
  
“You already do.” Damien hesitated. The sound of her saying that to him had him aching for her touch again, but he didn’t want Mika to feel forced. Whatever she wanted to do, he wouldn’t say no.  
  
“I want to bring you pleasure," She admitted. The look she gave him from beneath her lashes would have had him wondering at her innocence if he didn’t know any better. As it was, he was shocked and would have dropped to his knees if he didn’t fear drowning. “Please,” she whispered, watching him.  
  
Recovering, Damien smiled softly at her as he lifted her hand from the water. “You can touch them again if you want.” He offered, knowing how curious she was about his horns. “I won’t...” He wouldn’t say it either. “But let me bring you some pleasure, too,” he added. “I can just...” He had difficulty finding the words and Mika's look turned unsure. Annoyed with his inability to describe it, he exhaled.  
  
Caressing her cheek again, Damien met Mika’s eyes and let his turn to gold.  
  
“Oh.” She breathed as the warmth of his magic, the power of seduction, suffused through Mika’s body for a few seconds before Damien withdrew his enthrallment. It left Mika sighing.  
  
“Is that alright?” he asked, watching her for any fear, any sign of uncertainty.  
  
“Yes.” The word came out like a plea and Damien smiled, leaning in to fill her with gold once more. It had Mika moaning his name and reaching for his shoulders and Damien let himself back into the moment as well. He pulled her in to claim her mouth again, sliding his arms back around her waist.  
  
Mika couldn’t keep her body from arching in his grasp. Her tongue twined with his as she hesitantly raised a hand to slide over his horns, her fingers running through the hair at the back of Damien’s head.  
  
Feeling his own desire flood through him, Damien whispered her name and shifted her between his legs again, bending down to cover her lips and cheeks with kisses. One of Mika’s hands lowered to brace against his thigh as her other hand reached up to run her fingers over his horns again. His moan was honey in her mouth, the feeling of his magic pulling it through her to push her desire higher. His hands found her chest again, his fingers massaging, sparking her desire into a roaring flame as he touched her.  
  
Their bodies moved of their own accord against each other, the feeling of slick flesh enhancing their arousal. Damien drew her flat up against him, his hands sliding down her back to cradle her ass while she clung tightly to him. She could feel that part of him slide against her stomach while her breasts rubbed against his chest.  
  
Damien threw his head back, his own body arching into hers as he groaned and thrust against her. Feeling herself sliding down, Mika’s hands reached up to grip the ends of his horns and she pulled herself up along him. Her mouth closed over his and his hands moved to grip her hips tightly as he bucked against her lower belly. The fire in her twisted, drawing her towards it and one of Damien’s hands slid between them, one finger brushing down intimately to touch her.  
  
Mika’s world exploded in a rain of golden sparks, her body tensing tightly before it snapped to leave her shuddering. She heard Damien’s own strangled cry. His hand flew back to hold her flush against him. His motions froze as his own body jerked against her, once, twice, thrice, before trembling with her own.  
  
They gasped for breath. Hearts pounding, muscles going limp, they let the warm water soothe them as they came down from the heights. Damien drew Mika lovingly back for another kiss. They held each other after that, filling the night with soft words, gentle caresses, warm kisses and tender sighs until the dawn threatened and they were forced to part again.  
  
\--  
  
Mika returned to the okiya: sleepy, happy, and barely maintaining her appearance when K met her. Once again she was shepherded upstairs after giving Damien a warm smile.  
  
“Don't worry. You will return to Ichiriki tonight.” K reassured her as Mika suddenly realized she might not be scheduled to be with Damien once more. “You will have one more night together.” K tucked Mika into her futon before standing back up and stopping at the door. She turned back to the sleepy maiko. “I do not doubt that you will be a geiko when you next return here.” she chuckled.  
  
“K, is that all right?” Mika asked nervously. Damien and her had been so close, Mika was almost certain they would. It would be the lovely ending to their dream before they had to return to the harsh world around them.  
  
“It is your choice, Mika.” K told her with a warm smile, “One I want you to make for yourself when the time is right.”  
  
“But...”  
  
“I will not sell it. Not like some of the other houses in the hanamachi.” K’s voice was firm. “You have been drinking the tea for several moons now. We both knew the time was approaching.” K almost looked sad, seeing Mika becoming a woman and knowing all the hardships it would entail, but she would not taint her happiness, not now. “It is your gift to give. We have so few real ones in this life, Mika. If it is what you want, if your feelings for him lead you to it, you have my blessing.”  
  
“Thank you.” Mika whispered as K turned away, sleep quickly pulling her down into its dark embrace.


	4. Third Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world of dreams.

A geisha is a warrior. The powder box and her kimono are her armor. Her fans and shamisen are her weapons. Subtlety, strength and grace are her skills as she walks through her world, protecting those within her care from the pain of loss and the harsh truth of day.  
  
\--  
  
The third night’s banquet started even earlier, beginning just as the sun set, perhaps in an attempt to hold onto the final night for as long as possible. Garbed in a kimono of rich cinnamon and cream with golden combs holding her hair back and letting it fall, Mika entered the ochaya’s gates. The line was there once more, but also a servant. Mika recognized the young girl as the one who had first accepted her as Damien’s companion.  
  
“Please maiko, follow me.” Surprised, Mika allowed herself to be led. She held her head high and ignored the stares and glares of those waiting. A small part of her thought they should wait forever with their greedy attitudes but another part chided her for judging. After all, it could have just as easily been her waiting there to see Damien.  
  
_Damien._ He’d been on her mind all day. K had recognized it and left her alone. It was just as well. There was so little time...  
  
Thankfully the servant guided her directly to the brothers’ private salon, Damien only just arriving himself as she approached. He was striking in a dark indigo yukata, a pattern of small golden stars embroidered upon it like the night sky. The smell of fresh soap lingered in the air. The brothers had likely slept through most of the day before heading to the bathhouse once again to prepare for the final night of celebration.  
  
Damien’s smile was wide as he saw Mika, excitement lighting his features from within, making her think of the golden light that had filled them both just hours before. It made Mika blush and Damien reached for her, escorting her to their seats. The other geisha were also greeted by their men in such a fashion Mika noticed, as if their arrivals were timed perfectly. She knelt beside Damien, blushing as his body shifted to make as much contact with hers as could be allowed without causing scandal.  
  
Neither seemed to know what to say to each other. Mika finally broke their silence.  
  
“I have something for you,” she admitted. He watched her intently as Mika reached up into her sleeve. She had woken early to work on it all day, inspired to give him a gift before their time was up. Head bowed, she shyly passed him a long, dark lacquered box.  
  
“Mika?” Damien took it with a look of surprise, his fingers brushing hers for a moment before she released it into his hand.  
  
“It’s a gift.” She whispered with a small smile that warmed him and made Damien feel awkward at the same time.  
  
“I...” He didn’t have anything for her.  
  
“Please, open it.” She nodded to him, encouragingly.  
  
Damien carefully lifted the lid, revealing a small scroll tucked inside, a thin red ribbon adorned with jade beads the color of her eyes tied about it.  
  
“I wrote it for you.” Mika’s courage faltered a little as his eyes rose to meet hers. It was silly. What if he didn’t like it? But she couldn’t take it back; she didn’t want to. It was his the moment she scribed the tategaki on the paper.  
  
Damien blinked, looking down at the note in his hands. Carefully he pulled the tail of the bow, freeing the paper from the ribbon, his fingers sliding under the edges to lift it from the box. The scroll unrolled in his hands to reveal Mika’s poem.  
  
The strokes of the brush were bold down the paper, the symbols accented with a faint watercolor of the tea house’s pond and gardens, a delicate painting behind the characters. It was beautiful. Damien ran his fingertips lightly over it, tracing the strokes, wishing he knew what they meant.  
  
Mika watched Damien as he opened her gift, holding her breath. His eyes ran over it, his fingers tracing it, but there was no spark. He seemed to glance right over it. He appreciated the art, but nothing more.  
  
Damien looked up to see her watching and gave her a sweet smile. “Thank you.” He met her eyes. Sweet, but without any connection to the words of her heart she had just laid before him. Pain flared in her for a second before she realized.  
  
_He doesn’t know how to read._  
  
The thought struck her. It was absurd. His brothers, especially James and Matthew, were men of intellect. Their words were witty as they sent them across the room and sparred with each other. Erik’s poetic discourse bespoke years of literature, some rather suggestive and appreciated by the experienced geisha around him. Sam...Sam wouldn’t seem to care if he could read or not, men of such physicality did not need it to lead the men of the barracks as he did.

But Damien? Damien couldn’t read? How could he be so ignorant? Mika saw the embarrassed flush blossom over Damien’s face and he looked away, trying to hide his shame.  
  
_It's like he really can read my thoughts,_ Mika marveled yet again. Damien’s gaze shifted as he kept his head down to look at her from the corner of his eye and it suddenly became real to Mika. Her breath caught in her chest.

He was a demon, after all.

 _You...You can hear my thoughts?_ She asked in her mind, keeping her own features still while studying his. Damien’s gaze dropped back down to stare into his lap.  
  
“Yes,” He whispered, his voice filled with sorrow.  
  
Mika almost jumped. It could have been coincidence.  
  
_Tell me you can read my thoughts._ She once again spoke in her mind.  
  
“No.” Damien’s lips tightened into a firm line. “I won’t say it.” His voice was low, bitter. Only Mika heard it before he turned his head away again, pained by her rejection.  
  
“Damien.” Mika reached tentatively beneath the table to lay her hand on his and he jerked away. He’d heard what she thought of him, of his ignorance.  
  
Her mind flooded with warmth and she openly moved to take his hand, not caring if the others saw it. His inability to read was surprising, but his power was so amazing. It was one more wonder she had learned about him. One more part of the man she was falling in love with.  
  
Startled, Damien’s head whipped up to meet her gaze and it was Mika’s turn to blush. She averted her eyes, stuttering an excuse as she pulled away from him, quickly rising to her feet.  
  
“Mika!” Damien rose with her.  
  
“I...I will be back.” It was all Mika said to him before turning and hurrying away from the table, practically running from him.  
  
“Wait!” Damien called after her, the gazes of the others in the room turning to watch her retreat with confusion before they regarded the youngest brother.  
  
Damien couldn’t keep the smile from breaking out across his face. He hoped Mika would return soon.  
  
–-  
  
It took Mika longer than she expected to arrange for what she needed. Precious minutes were dripping down into the water clock, stealing away the last night she could spend with Damien, but she wanted to do this for him. The banquet would take awhile. Finally the courier returned, a long canvas-wrapped bundle in his arms. Mika had him bring it to the ochaya’s staff with her specific instructions, before she was finally able to make her way back to the salon.  
  
Another maiko had taken her place at Damien’s side.  
  
Mika’s stomach dropped. She had forgotten. She could not leave her guest unattended! She had abandoned him, no better than that geisha the first night. She turned to flee in shame but Damien saw her in the doorway. He rushed to his feet and hurried past the girl with a mumbled “Excuse me," before reaching for Mika. His hand caught her wrist before she could get away, a light tug pulling her back to him with a stumble.  
  
Mika turned, fighting for balance as her shoes caught in the hem of her kimono, only to find herself landing in Damien’s arms, her hands gripping the edges of his yukata. The feel of the firm muscle beneath it had her flushing and remembering his embrace,  remembering the feel of his smooth skin beneath her hands the night before. His arms circled her, holding her safe until she could find her balance once more. But she’d lost it. She’d lost it completely in the arms of this man and would only have it back while he held her.  
  
“Don’t go,” Damien told her, his look intense. “Please. Stay with me.”  
  
Mika took a shuddering breath and stepped back from him, Damien letting her go with hesitation. He didn’t want to lose her again.

She nodded before meeting his eyes. “I never want to leave you,” Mika confided, her heart giving at small stab at the truth of her words.  
  
A servant stepped up to them, forcing her and Damien to move further apart in order to maintain propriety. The young woman bowed low, apologizing for the interruption. “Everything is prepared,” she informed Mika  
  
“Thank you.” Mika nodded to the woman, before turning back to Damien. His look turned curious. “My gift was not to your satisfaction.” She delicately explained. Damien moved to deny it, his mouth opening to contradict her. Mika smoothly held up one hand in a halting gesture. “No, do not speak falsehoods.” She gave a small smile to show him it was all right as he looked at her, startled. “You are not the only one to know what a man might be thinking.” She lightly teased him to soften her words.  
  
“Mika...”  
  
“I would change my gift,” she explained, speaking over him for once. “Or more accurately, add to it.” She laid a hand on his arm and gestured back towards his place on the pillows on the tatami, the other maiko no longer in sight. The dinner tables had already been removed in preparation of the night’s entertainments, the brothers and other geisha waiting for his return.  
  
“Please, Damien. Sit.” Mika kept her thoughts quiet. Her training made it easy for her to still her mind. Life was almost a meditation for her at times. The young samurai hesitated once more, but finally gave in, letting her walk him back to his place of honor.  
  
Mika saw to it that Damien was lounging comfortably, a small splash of sake in his cup, another cup of tea inconspicuously placed to satisfy his thirst without the fear of inebriation. Satisfied that she had taken care of him, she stood and began her walk to the end of the room, the servants dimming the lights behind her and lighting the stage for the night’s performances.  
  
This time, Mika went first.  
  
A large sheet of paper was unrolled; it was a large scroll. Blank, it lay like a blanket of snow upon the floor. Mika stepped along its edge, sliding out of her shoes and taking the long staff a servant held out to her, a large flat bowl beside them.  
  
Her audience watched her curiously, Matthew’s eyes flashing as he realized what she was about to do, James’ quickly following. Damien blinked, focusing in on her thoughts. The musicians began the music she specified. The moves of the dance, the choreography, ran through Mika’s mind one last time before she took a deep breath and stepped onto the page.  
  
With soft, smooth movements, Mika danced to the music. Not any dance, no. One she was creating, just for him. The staff in her hands swung down to touch the paper, revealing it to be a large brush. Each motion lead to another stroke as the first character was brought forth by her turning and swaying with the brush dipping onto the page.  
  
It was a dance of her heart, beautiful to behold. Mika’s feet took soft, nimble steps to ensure they never touched the ink, never put down the pressure to crumple the paper. Each character flowed with her and the servants opened the screens behind her, dimming the lanterns further and revealing the garden with its pond as a backdrop for her.  
  
The moonlight shone in and down upon Mika giving her an ethereal fragility, despite the muscle and skill all in the room were well aware was necessary to pull off such a physical feat. The characters stood out in stark contrast upon the floor. It made it that much more exquisite.  
  
As each character was finished, Mika spoke the words in her mind, reciting the poem for only Damien to hear. It was an intimate guidance through the scroll he had opened upon his lap once more and he watched as she wrote it again for him, with the dance of her body and words of her heart.  
  
Moonlight  
A gentle touch  
Your name, swirling like the petals of the cherry blossoms  
Sighs through parted lips  
My dream  
  
With the last stroke, Mika spun. A faint shower of black drops, the last of the ink upon the brush, fell around her. It speckled the paper like dark stars in a night sky. Not a single drop hit the precious silk of her kimono.  
  
The room broke out into applause. Mika passed the brush back to the servant before bowing low to the brothers and their companions. She straightened and looked up, seeing the approval in her sisters’ eyes, the admiration in the brothers’,  and the love in Damien’s.  
  
He did not hesitate to rise and stride across the room to her, taking her face in his hands and kissing her on the mouth to the pleased gasps of the geisha and the applause of the brothers. It was not done, such public shows of affection; and yet here, in this private room among family and friends, it had never felt more right.  
  
Mika melted into Damien's embrace, savoring it before letting him lead her back towards the pillows as the room prepared for the next performance. She knelt beside him, their hips and thighs resting against each other, his arm sliding around her waist to hold her close in a form of intimate contact that managed to connect them enough while they enjoyed the rest of the entertainment, together.  
  
At one point, Mika noticed the screen door to the hallway slide open to show the old woman looking in on them. Mika hadn’t seen her since the garden, when the servant had disappeared for a second time. Her actions, her ask for assistance had led Mika to find Damien, to have this time with him.    
  
Mika wasn’t sure if the woman would know it, but she pulled her fan from her sleeve, moving it in the subtle motion of thanks. The wrinkled features and small dark eyes crinkled as the woman smiled, giving Mika an approving nod in return before closing the door once more.  
  
\--  
  
Eventually the entertainment came to a close, the brothers and their geisha turning to more intimate conversations with each other as the servants brought fresh bottles of sake. They left the lights dimmed. Words moved to whispers with sighs and light touches or gentle kisses as each couple moved into their own world before standing and quietly leaving to walk up the stairs, for their rooms and what was their final night together.  
  
Mika and Damien found themselves alone in the salon once more.  
  
Memories of their past nights filled Mika as they stood, making her heart race. Sorrow that this was their last meal, their last banquet, forever relinquished to mere memories also threatened to fill her. Damien took her hands and the servant at the door took the hint, sliding it closed to give them privacy.  
  
"Mika, you are so much more than I’d ever hoped to find.” Damien confided to her, stepping up and bowing his head to press a kiss to her forehead.  
  
“I never thought I would find someone like you either, Damien." Mika admitted to him. Her thoughts were edged with the loneliness of her past and colored with thankfulness for the present. Her feelings for him brightened them as her fingers intertwined with his. He looked away for an instant, before forcing himself to look back again, forcing himself to continue.  
  
"Being with you, it truly has been a dream come true. But, there’s something I have to tell you." Damien had heard the whispers of Mika’s heart that night. He knew what he and she both wanted to do. But there was one last thing between them, one last thing he had to share with her, one last thing she had to know, before she made her choice.  
  
"I am not a lord, like my other brothers."  
  
"But..." A small frown appeared on her face.  
  
"You were surprised tonight, that a man from such an honorable and prestigious family could not read."  
  
Mika blinked. She wouldn't deny it, but she wouldn't voice it, either. Her mind may have tried to judge earlier, but her heart knew better.  
  
"I am different from my other brothers." Damien looked down, no longer meeting her eyes. "We are all sons of a warlord. Our father is a shogun in the spirit world, a powerful oni."  
  
Mika thought of the conversations she'd heard while entertaining other men of military influence with K. The shogun was the most powerful man in all of Japan, appointed by the emperor himself to rule the armies. It explained how the brothers were so fierce in battle; how their enemies, mere mortals, fell or fled.  
  
"You do what you must, Damien." Mika tried to comfort him, misinterpreting what he was saying. She thought he worried that she knew his duty required him to spill blood.  
  
"No, Mika. It isn't that." In society, he was of the lower cast. His brothers treated him as one of them, but he was not. He would never be noble. He would never have the honor of being a Lord of their house. He could fight beside them, earn merit and respect, perhaps even be awarded a title and lands one day, when James took the Shogunate. His eldest brother admired his wisdom and gratefully used Damien's powers in his strategies. Damien truly was a part of them when they fought. But it would never make up for the lack in the blood flowing through his veins.  
  
"Damien?" Mika asked him, squeezing his hand to pull him from his thoughts. "Please, tell me."  
  
"My brothers were all born of my father's wives." He watched her as her clever mind realized what was coming.  
  
"You were a child of love?" Her eyes brightened for him, despite the stigma of society upon the illegitimate. Damien couldn't keep the sad smile from his face. He couldn't hold back from pulling her into a tight hug against him. He brushed his cheek against the soft fall of her hair. She had thought he liked her hair down. She was right.  
  
Mika stayed silent, waiting patiently for Damien to continue, concerned and holding him just as tight. She memorized the feeling of being in his arms.  
  
"No," Damien quietly admitted as he stepped back from her. He couldn't meet her eyes. His head ducked down, his eyes hidden beneath his hair. "I am the child of a slave. The unwanted child of a slave who had no choice."  
  
He feared looking up at her. Mika’s thoughts were quiet, slowly understanding what he had just told her. He didn’t want reality to intrude upon their last night together, but he feared he was deceiving her. She was to be a geisha, a woman of high repute, companion to men of great power and influence. He was of the lowest base birth: no true family, no honor, no legacy. An inconvenience from the rape of a slave.  
  
"Damien," Mika quietly spoke his name, her mind purposely blank. "Look at me." She watched him as he slowly peered up at her through his bangs.  
  
What he saw…  
  
No pity, no disgust, no derision or condemnation.  
  
Mika was mad.  
  
It threw Damien totally off guard.  
  
"You stand there, acting like you are not good enough for me? Feeling unworthy because your parents, because a cruel world tells you so? I am a slave, Damien.  
  
"My father sold me, the coin the only good he could get from me. He told me that to be a geisha would teach me of reality; that the only women of any influence were the ornamental willows, dancing at the whim of men while my mother kept his house with no love or acknowledgment. I was a result of duty, a failure cast aside for a handful of yen. I do not know if she ever bore him a son.  
  
"One day I hope to have a danna, a man who pays my debt and frees me from the okiya. Perhaps I will...care for him." Mika couldn't say she would love another. Damien was too deep in her heart now, but he would leave her with the dawn. Perhaps he would be the only man to make her feel this way.  
  
"I know I care for you. You feel alone in the world beyond Ichiriki's gates, as do I. Whatever they tell you, whatever you think you should feel because of what they say about where you came from, it's wrong. I do not see you through their eyes, Damien.  
  
"I see a wonderful man, a good man; loving to his brothers, gentle and kind to those around him. You are more valuable than any gift of a danna. You are worth more than any man in this ochaya. I will hold you forever, right here." Mika pressed a hand to her heart. Her eyes softened. They could not change the world, but they could change themselves.  
  
"You are my most precious treasure." A single tear slid from the corner of her eye. She fought the rest of them back. She had not cried since her father had sold her, so long ago. She would not allow herself to shed another tear until Damien was gone. Mika didn't want to waste another moment when she could be happy with him for this short time.  
  
Damien stared at her, humbled. He stepped forward and brushed away the tear on her cheek. “How did I ever find someone as beautiful as you?” he marveled. Mika thought of the old woman and heard him chuckle. “I’ll have to thank her.”  
  
Mika’s throat choked closed, her emotions warring inside her. It was so much easier to speak through her thoughts, she felt, as she tilted her head further into his hand and turned to kiss his palm.  
  
“Damien,” Mika hesitated. They had grown closer in their time together, more intimate than she ever had with any man. If they continued…  
  
“We don’t have to.” Damien whispered to her. He was content just to be with her. As much as the brothers teased him and they enjoyed their own partners here at the ochaya, there was no actual pressure for him to do anything with any of the girls. It would be assumed he had by the other samurai and he could leave it at that, a man in everyone’s eyes with their honor intact.  
  
Though some might call it foolish, Damien had only ever wanted to give himself to someone he loved, someone who loved him in return. And you did not force the one you loved.  
  
“If we do, I will be a maiko no longer.” Mika looked up into his eyes. “I would become a full geisha.” Knowledgeable in the ways of men, no longer a student. Mika would be a full companion, a slave of the okiya. Her time would be available for purchase by the men who visited the district until she found a patron of her own, her danna, paying off her debts and supporting her in the okiya from then on.  
  
“Is that what you want?” Damien asked, pulling away and allowing her to think clearly.  
  
In time, even without a patron, Mika knew she could pay off her own debt. But that wasn’t what mattered to her. Money, fears of the future, they would always be there to haunt her. But Damien; thoughtful, understanding, gentle Damien, was here now. Hers for one last night.  
  
There was nothing in the world she wanted more than to give herself to him. To be as close to him as she possibly could, to hold him as tightly as she dared, and to have him in her heart for the rest of time.  
  
**When life goes well, it’s a sudden gift.**    
  
Mika would share it with him, if he would have her.  
  
“I want you.” She let the words pass her lips and cross her mind before feeling him pull her into a tight embrace.  
  
“I want you, too.” He answered, whispering it into her ear.  
  
Together, they both walked up the stairs.  
  
–  
  
The master suite of Ichiriki was large with a balcony overlooking the gardens and it’s own bath. A servant escorted Mika and Damien down the hall, opening the screens for them as they entered. The décor was elegant as was the large futon, lavish with silken sheets and soft pillows. Two empty kimono stands were set along the wall, a weapons rack holding Damien’s blades standing between them. A pitcher of chilled fruit juice with two glasses and a small tray of sweet delicacies rested on a low table, placed with two large cushions on a raised platform beyond the bed.  
  
They both thanked the servant and the woman bowed. “If you need anything, simply ring.” She indicated the bell bowl, with its mallet, on an ornate stand before stepping back out of the room and sliding the door back into place. A few seconds later and they heard the outer doors also sliding closed.  
  
Damien looked at Mika, a look that had her melting before his eyes even shifted, and they were on each other. Their mouths met, Mika’s hands plunging into Damien’s hair, Damien pulling her up against him to hold her close as his tongue wrapped about hers. The small noises she made, the purrs he answered her with, were the only sounds along with the rustling of silk and the gasping of breath.  
  
Damien reached down to Mika’s obi and paused. She noticed his hesitation and stopped, watching him pull away from her, confused. Realizing, Mika laughed.  
  
It takes a maiko about 30 minutes to don her intricate kimono. The many belts, padding and layers of robes necessitate an assistant to help with the knotting and tying of the sashes as well as the intricate knot of the obi.  
  
It took Mika about ten minutes to remove it, letting Damien enjoy the pleasure of taking the ends of each sash and slowly stepping around her to unwrap them from her after she undid the knots. He slid each layer off of her, as if he were unwrapping a present. His hands glided over her, his lips stealing a kiss now and again. The ritual calmed Mika’s nerves and slowly built the fire burning between them, until she was left with only her white under-robe on, a light blush on her cheeks.  
  
“You’re so beautiful.” The look of her, her delicate curves and shadows beneath the thin silk, had Damien’s heart racing and he knew he had to slow down. He wanted to savor this evening with her as long as he could.  
  
Still garbed in his own yukata, Damien guided Mika up the steps of the platform to the table. She slid into the role of hostess again, moving to kneel when Damien’s hand on her shoulder made her pause.  
  
“Wait.” With a smile, he sat cross-legged on one of the large cushions before drawing Mika down to sit upon his lap with her back against his chest. She blushed prettily for him.    
  
“Now you may serve me.” He whispered in her ear, feeling Mika tremble against him as he lightly kissed her lobe. She leaned forward on his lap to move the tray closer, carefully lifting the small bottle of juice. “Only one.” Damien instructed her. His lips kissed her just behind the ear, sending shivers up Mika’s spine before she moved to obey him. Mika poured them a cup to share and placed the bottle back in its place. His hands reached up and he slowly pulled one of the ornate combs from her hair, watching the dark silk fall. With a hum of enjoyment, he removed the other comb as well before gathering the curtain of her hair and sliding it forward over her far shoulder. Sitting straight once more, she felt Damien’s fingers run along the top edge of her robe, tracing it on both sides with both hands from the back of her neck and down her front, spreading the fabric a little further apart and leaning forward to press his mouth to the nape of her neck. It sent fire down Mika’s spine to pool in her belly.  
  
A slow trail of kisses led Damien along the curve of her neck and shoulder. His hands paused at the edges of her robe. Mika sighed and leaned back into him, her head tilting back over his shoulder. She turned her head to nuzzle his hair and Damien turned so his mouth met hers. His hands slid over her chest, teasing Mika through the thin layer of silk. She gasped and shifted into his caresses and Damien shifted as well, uncoiling his legs from beneath her to slide Mika down onto the pillow in front of him, his thighs straddling her hips, his knees bent on either side of her. Damien’s hands slid over her again, massaging her even as he pulled her up against him.  
  
Mika moaned and Damien’s hips shifted against her from behind, teasing his body with hers. Wanting to feel him, Mika ran her hands up and down his legs. Damien pulled his mouth away on a gasp of his own, his body wanting to run away from his control again.  
  
“Damien,” she whispered shyly, “I want to touch you.” The last two nights he had offered; this time, she asked. It pulled a moan from him as he heard her thoughts, his hands shaking a little as he drew back from her. “Please.” It was a small plea, his withdrawal making her think she did something wrong.  
  
Mika turned around to kneel between his legs and saw the look in Damien’s eyes, the hunger. She finally understood he was trying to hold back, trying to take his time with his seduction of her. It touched her heart. Taking his face in her hands, she looked into his eyes. He lost himself in her emerald gaze.  
  
“Damien, we only have one more night.” Mika explained, her eyes running over his handsome features. “Take me to your bed.”  
  
Damien’s restraint snapped and he pulled Mika up against him with a deep kiss. His arms scooped her up and he stood, their mouths still meeting as he stepped down from the platform. He laid Mika down on the silken covers and slid to lie beside her.  
  
Mika’s hands reached for the belt of his yukata and Damien moved to help her with the ties, only to find she already had them undone. He chuckled at her own sly smile. In moments he shrugged out of it, the fabric dropping off the side of the futon, his own white silk robe parting to drape loosely about him. Mika wasted no time sliding her hands under the silk, feeling his body once more. It made Damien moan and he reached for her belt.  
  
This time Mika let him untie it. Her blush returned as she felt the fabric part, her eyes locked with his. He slid it open and over her shoulders, Mika sitting up to let the fabric slide over her arms and off of her. The silk pooled on the bed beneath her before his hands gently guided her to lie back once more.  
  
Damien’s eyes ran over her curves and Mika’s breath caught. He’d touched her body in the hot springs the night before, but they’d remained in the water. He was seeing her completely for the first time. A gentle smile spread on his lips and he met Mika’s eyes.  
  
Slowly he knelt up on the bed and slid off his own robe, the silk sliding away to reveal his body to her. It was like the lantern light itself kissed his skin. Every line, every plane was there for her to see: his broad shoulders and chest, chiseled abs, the narrow V of his hips and his muscular thighs. Mika had touched him beneath the water, but had never imagined he looked so good. It took her breath away as she lowered her gaze to the shadows and her eyes saw him.  
  
Damien wanted her and she wanted him.  
  
Mika leaned up as he moved over her, his mouth finding hers again. His body slid between her thighs as she opened them to him, her arms wrapping around him. He kissed her, propping himself on his hands to either side of her head to keep himself hovering above her before looking into her eyes. She readied herself for the pain. She knew the first time wouldn’t be enjoyable for her, but it would be for him.  
  
“You’re forgetting.” Damien chuckled down at her. His hips dipped to lightly rub himself against her intimately and her breath caught at the feel of it.  
  
“What?” She asked, finding her voice, dazed at the sensation of having him over her, having him this close.  
  
“I’m a demon,” he reminded her, his eyes flashing gold. Mika arched, feeling the power of Damien’s magic roll through her. It thrilled her, igniting her desire and drawing a moan from her lips. “You will only feel pleasure tonight, Mika.” Damien whispered as he leaned down to her ear. “As much pleasure as I can give you.”  
  
“And I can give you.” Mika gasped into his own ear. Want spiraled through her, golden honey flowing through her veins. She turned her head to meet his eyes. “I give you everything, Damien. My heart, my body, everything.” She took a deep breath, her spirit flaring within her.  
  
“I love you.”  
  
The words left her lips. It was a shout in her mind and it echoed in his and Damien felt himself fall. He felt his heart flare with passion and joy as her emotions flooded his mind. It was her own enthrallment, her love for him.  
  
He’d never known it, never thought he’d find it. The love of a woman, one who knew him. She knew his faults and flaws and shortcomings; she knew of his low blood, his demonic taint. He wasn’t good enough for her, he didn’t deserve her.  
  
He knew she would smack him if she heard his thoughts right now.  
  
_His thoughts._ Damien blinked, looking into Mika’s eyes, seeing her loving smile. His head was silent, but for his own thoughts. It were as though a door had opened to sweep all the clutter of a hundred voices from his mind to leave one pure sound, one pure thought that came from his very soul. 

“I love you,” Damien answered her.  
  
Mika smiled, tears falling from the corners of her eyes, a shaky laugh leaving her as his own smile broke. Happiness, true happiness filled their hearts as she reached up to pull him down to her.  
  
The thought to please her, to please himself filled Damien and he met her lips. Mika’s hands slid up around his neck to run through his hair as his magic flared through her again, her energy flowing into him. He slid one hand down her side, curled it beneath her hip and positioned himself. Mika moaned as he nudged her. Her body was ready for him and Damien slowly slid a little into her, kissing her, caressing her leg as it curled about his waist. He reveled in the feel of her. Mika felt him, felt herself stretch and lifted her hips to welcome him.  
  
“Yours.” She whispered into the night and Damien thrust, breaking through the resistance of her innocence to join them completely. Pleasure rushed through them both and Damien cried out, giving himself to her as Mika took him. He called out her name and she answered with his.  
  
Damien’s body flexed above her, his hips drawing him back from within her. Mika’s eyes closed as her head tilted back, her body arching to meet him as he plunged into her again. The feeling was more, so much more than they’d ever known. The rhythm took them. Damien started slowly, building up her pleasure. He kissed her, caressing her with one hand as Mika ran her hands over his back, his hips, feeling him flex and fill her at the same time. His kisses ran over her cheeks, her lips, her neck as he held himself above her with only his hips pressing her into the bed. It let her run her hands over his chest, let her squirm and buck beneath him as well.  
  
The pace increased, a heartbeat pumping faster as they raced for the cliff. Mika couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but moan and feel and react, letting her body show her what she needed to know and giving Damien all she had. His mind echoed with only one thought. His thought of Her.  
  
Damien drove into her, her innocence and his a memory as the pure joy and delight of her body took him. All too soon, Mika’s body tightened and her energy flared once more, just before he felt her break around him. Her cry sounded out into the night, her ecstasy drawing him and Damien’s own body followed, releasing with a rush deep inside of her, shaking as he let go.  
  
Panting for breath, the lovers looked into each others eyes as their bodies pulled away from each other. It was a small loss in the flood of what they’d given each other. Mika pulled him down to lie beside her while they caught their breath.  
  
“Mika.” He nuzzled her cheek, resting a hand on her belly, as if to reassure himself she was still there. “Don’t move.” Damien whispered.  
  
He shakily got to his feet, pausing to look back over his shoulder and down at her. The line of his back, the muscles of his legs stood out in the lantern light with a soft sheen of sweat. His sheer masculinity had Mika fighting not to pull him back down on the futon with her.  
  
“Damien?” Mika’s ravished appearance, her hair fanned out over the bed, had Damien’s body already starting to crave her again. Her questioning look broke Damien from his thoughts and had him smiling at her once more.  
  
“Stay.” He commanded as he stepped over to the table, picking up the cup they had left and bringing it to the bed for her. Mika sat up with a frown as he sat beside her. She was supposed to be tending to him.  
  
“You’ve given me so many gifts.” Damien held the cup to her mouth and Mika sipped the cool drink before leaning back, her body still recovering. She licked her lips as he drank the rest, the motion catching Damien’s gaze and he smiled. “Tonight, let me serve you.” Mika blushed at the heat in his eyes and Damien’s smile spread. He set the cup down and reached to pull her into his arms.  
  
Their mouths were sweet as they celebrated their love through the night.  
  
\--  
  
Mika woke in Damien’s bed to the full light of day. She’d fallen asleep, leaning against him as they watched the sun rise from the balcony. Sitting up, a splash of color caught her eye and Mika looked across the room to see the two kimono stands.  
  
One held the kimono she’d worn yesterday for Damien. The other…  
  
In place of Damien’s yukata was a beautiful robe of katsamura silk. Amber and gold, it was adorned with an embroidery of the tea house’s garden at sunset, the pavilion on the lake surrounded by the trees and flowers they had walked through the day before. The obi with it was colored in the lavender and blue of dusk. It was the ceremonial robe of a geiko, a full geisha.  
  
Her breath catching in her throat, Mika looked around once more. She saw the empty weapons rack, saw a white neroli from the garden resting on one of the pillows beside her. Returning her gaze to the kimono she stared at the obi. The color of Damien’s eyes.  
  
Mika couldn’t stop her tears.  
  
Their dream was over.


	5. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The real world.

A Geisha’s life is not her own. They are not free to love. They are never more than half a wife; their time limited to the hours of the night and the coin of their patrons. At the dawn they are left behind, as dreams always are, to wait for the sun to set once more, until one day the dream ends.  
  
\--  
  
Damien followed his brothers as they walked down the road to Edo, James’ men marching ahead of them. The dust was dry on his tongue and the sun too bright for his eyes. Much like his other brothers, he was tired. He hadn’t slept, wanting every second, every moment he could get with Mika. Even if it was only watching her sleep. His eyes watered and he brushed them with his sleeve once more to quickly remove the evidence.  
  
The brothers had returned to the barracks shortly after dawn, the other samurai cheering Damien as word of the sweet, young maiko he’d befriended spread through the group. He’d had to hold back his anger and force a smile on his face, hearing their speculative thoughts in his head.  
  
“Are you all right?” James fell back to walk beside Damien, leaving his other advisers to keep the men marching. The daimyo’s eyes were filled with concern for his brother, the lenses of his glasses covered with a thin film of road dust that he gently wiped away.  
  
Damien could only look at him.  
  
“It’s never easy to leave them.” James confided. He wouldn’t speak to his brother through his thoughts this time. He needed to hear the words himself.  
  
“What would it take to become her danna?” Damien asked.  
  
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” James’ brows rose. “You’ve only just met her. There are other girls, Damien.”  
  
“No.” Damien practically snarled the word.  
  
“Just like the rest of us.” Matthew chuckled. He’d stopped walking and had waited for them to catch up to him, resuming his pace on the other side of Damien.  
  
“Mother has a way of choosing the right girl. Each of us fell for our firsts.” James confided.  
  
Damien recalled Mika’s thoughts of the old woman. The “servant” that led her to find him.  
  
“It’s true.” Erik admitted as he joined them. Damien stared at him, surprised, and his older brother shrugged. “Suri was already with Yuki when I met her. I’m glad Yuki is there for her when I can’t be. Suri is such a fragile flower. And Yuki, she is a good...friend.” Erik’s unexpected sentimentality shone for a moment before he quickly shifted back to his flirtatious self.  
  
“Damien, are you serious about wanting to be her danna?” James asked him. “Being a patron isn’t cheap. “  
  
“All of you are their dannas.” Their youngest brother pointed out.  
  
“Yes, and it is also a large part of what’s keeping us in these wars.” James explained. He had taken on Hiroshi’s men after the magician died, grateful that the man had brought them from the demon world; but at times like these, he wished he could retire.  
  
“James, I can’t think of her being trapped in that okiya. I can’t think of her being with someone else.” Damien shook his head. He knew his other brothers had not wanted to leave their partners either, but the thought of Mika as a slave tore at him.  
  
“Being a danna means you pay her expenses Damien, but Mika will still be a companion.” Erik sadly explained to his younger brother.  
  
“No!” Damien stopped walking. He couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t stand the idea of her with someone else, giving her smiles to someone else, being forced to feel the touch of another or even worse, wanting it.  
  
“K is a generous house mother, Damien. She’ll take care of Mika, she already is.” Matthew tried to comfort him.  
  
“It isn’t the same.” Damien thought of his own mother, of the slave quarters he’d known in the demon world. The thought of Mika trapped there...  
  
“Damien.” James’ voice quietly cut through his youngest brother’s thoughts. “What you’re proposing is to buy her outright. The expense would be much greater and Mika would have no where to go. Alone, it could be worse for her. She may even find herself a slave again.”  
  
**You are a lord to me.** Damien’s head dropped. He didn’t have land or a title. There was no family home waiting for her to live in.  
  
But he couldn’t leave her.    
  
“You’ve never asked for anything.” James told him.  
  
“Yeah. You’ve never spent a coin like we have.” Matthew gave a sorrowful chuckle.  
  
Damien looked up to find all of his brothers with him now, Sam nodding to him as well.  
  
“I know you hate this shit.” Sam folded his arms and indicated the departing army with a tilt of his head. He lived to fight, just as James lived to lead, Matthew to laugh, and Erik… well, Erik did what Erik did.  
  
They all knew the life of a warrior wasn’t Damien’s life, not really.  
  
“You’ve always loved this world and its wonders. Maybe it’s time for you to go live them.” Matthew’s eyes had turned serious, his words hopeful.  
  
Damien stared at his brothers, confused. It was true he’d never bothered with his cut of the profits. He didn’t drink, never really left the barracks except for the times his brothers took him out. They were a family, they all shared. He’d always told James to spend the money he earned for all of them.  
  
“I’ve kept your shares, Damien.” James admitted and the youngest brother blinked at him. “Every coin.”  
  
“What are you saying?” Damien asked, a flicker of hope in his heart.  
  
“I’m not certain, but it may be enough.” James’ fingers pressed his glasses back up on his nose from where they’d slid down. “You’d have to find a job, a home, but you might be able to free her.” The daimyo met his most trusted adviser’s eyes, the one he always knew he would lose one day. The brother looked at his sibling and felt pride swell within him at the happiness Damien might have found.  
  
Damien looked at all of them, their thoughts passing through his mind.  
  
“I’m gonna miss you.” Sam was the first to break the silence. He gave a brisk shrug, unable to meet his brother’s eyes. Then he pulled Damien into a quick hug before he turned and started walking back down the road. _Take care of yourselves._ The fighter thought back to him. _I’ll see you next time._  
  
“Yeah.” Matthew nodded, his eyes sad. “But we’ll come visit.” He smiled then. “You can’t get rid of us that easily.” he chuckled. _We’ll always be here for you._  
  
“You’ll be okay.” Erik’s words were a statement, no hesitation as he also said goodbye to his baby brother. “Don’t worry. Just...follow your heart.” He tossed his head to flip the hair out of his eyes and gave Damien a sad smile. _I love you, brother. Take care._ Erik joined Matthew to follow Sam.  
  
“Damien.” James’ voice was quiet again as he looked down at his youngest brother. Not as far down as he used to, he realized, though he always saw a bit of the boy his brother had been.  
  
“Here.” James handed him a wallet. “I thought this might happen,” he admitted. _There’s money and a note._  James had financiers in Kyoto that could help his brother get on his feet. It wouldn’t be luxurious by any means, but it would be a start. A chance for Damien and Mika.  
  
“James...” Damien didn’t know what to say.  James pulled him into a tight hug. It was a silent goodbye, for just a moment before James stepped back.  
  
“Go get her.”  
  
–  
  
Mika never thought it would happen, but eventually she ran out of tears. She could still smell Damien in the pillows, his scent twining with the flower he’d left for her. He was gone but the feeling of him, his presence, was still with her. She imagined him standing by the futon, chuckling and telling her she should get up and start the day with him.  
  
It made her smile a little and she briefly wondered if she would go mad from loss, if to do so would let her be with him, even if only in her head.  
  
_Don’t. You’re stronger than that._ Dream Damien gave her a sad smile and disappeared. Mika’s eyes burned as she got up from the futon to dress and face the harshness of reality.  
  
Putting the last comb in her hair, she turned back to the empty room. She was wearing her kimono from the day before. She couldn’t bring herself to wear the new one. It felt too much like payment for losing him. Nothing equaled his value in her eyes, or his loss.  
  
She would have one of the servants box the kimono for her. She would store it in the okiya to wait, as she would, in the hope that Damien would return one day. Mika would only ever wear it for him.  
  
Taking a deep breath, she picked up the mallet and ran it along the edge of the singing bowl. The bell’s harmonic tone rang out and the servant from the night before slid the screen door open, stepping into the room with a bow.  
  
“Please, have my things packed and taken back to my okiya.” Mika instructed the woman. The servant hurried to comply. Mika tenderly picked up the neroli, the white orange blossom, and stepped onto the balcony.  
  
It was time to say goodbye.  
  
–  
  
Mother stepped from her office, surprised at the unexpected visitor arriving through Ichiriki’s gate. Perhaps she hadn’t been wrong after all. K poked her head out through the doorway to watch as the old woman went to speak with her guest once more.  
  
“Young Damien.” Mother greeted the samurai as he hurried up to her.  
  
“Mother.” Damien gasped and bowed low. He was breathless. He’d run the entire way; first to Mika’s okiya to find she had not returned and then here, to the tea house, in the hope that she had not yet left.  
  
“You were only granted three nights.” Mother’s voice was harsh, her tone strict as she frowned and folded her arms. He wasn’t the first to try this.  
  
“Please.” Damien knelt at the old woman’s feet, laying his swords upon the ground between them to show his sincerity, to show his offering to her. Perhaps he could find a job here at the tea house, if she would have him.  
  
“I told you. Three nights.” She stood, unmoving. “No more, no less.”  
  
Damien tilted his head up to look at her.  
  
**Do not hesitate to ask for what you want.**  
  
“I want to be with her.”  
  
–  
  
Mika took one last look at it and let the blossom go into the wind to spiral out over the gardens. She watched it as it flew from her, her hand at her throat as the same wind pulled at the hair draping down her back. The currents pulled the flower’s petals apart to scatter them over the world.  
  
_Mika._ Dream Damien was calling her. She had to go.  
  
“Mika.” She blinked. He was growing louder, not softer in her head.  
  
“Mika.” She felt a hand on her shoulder and her eyes went wide, spinning around to see Damien.  
  
He was there, right in front of her, smiling brightly. Mother and K stood behind him, K beaming while the old woman watched them, thoughtful.  
  
“Damien... how?”  
  
“You’re free, Mika.” He told her, the words ringing in her ears like the chime of the bell.  
  
“Damien has paid your debts, child.” Mother moved towards them as Damien took Mika’s hand and turned with her to face the old woman.  
  
“You’re my danna?” Mika asked him, surprised.  
  
“No.” K interjected. “He’s paid all of your debt, all of your price. You’re no longer a slave of the okiya, Mika.”  
  
“But...” Mika stared at them, shocked, and Damien chuckled. The sound was music to her ears.  
  
“I can’t offer you much. We’d have a simple life, but I would marry you, if you’d have me.” Damien spoke the words shyly, but his eyes burned with intensity as he stared into hers. Mika’s mind was blank, her body frozen as she realized what he was asking, what he was offering.  
  
“Yes.” It was a whisper, a breath from her, and the start of their new world.  
  
Happiness bloomed in both of them and Damien scooped Mika up against him. He held her up in his arms to spin them and she laughed down at him, his own happy laughter ringing with hers before he lowered her for a kiss.  
  
“Actually, that may not be true.” Mother cleared her throat and the two lovers pulled apart to turn to her, sobering as they saw her stern look. Damien let go of Mika and stepped forward, Mika looking curiously over his shoulder at the old servant.  
  
“I’m sorry, but who are you?” Mika asked as she moved to stand beside Damien, taking his hand once more.  
  
“I am the proprietor of Ichiriki, Mika, and this is my ochaya that you have been visiting.” The old woman explained to Mika’s surprise.  
  
“Forgive me!” Mika moved to drop to the floor in a deep bow, but Mother waved it away in annoyance.  
  
“Stop that! You are far too sorry, girl.” She turned from Mika to address Damien, whose mouth had thinned at her tone of voice to Mika. “And you! You knelt, ready to give yourself away on a moment’s notice.” The old woman huffed. “Both of you are worth more than that. It will never do.”  
  
“Mother?” Confused, Damien tried to stop her lecture. She ignored his interruption.  
  
“But, with the two of you together, I suppose you’ll be able to handle it. Not that I’m dying any time soon, mind you.” The old woman scoffed.  
  
“I don’t understand.” Mika admitted, seeing K’s shocked expression.  
  
“I’m old and tired, girl. Ichiriki is a handful, on a good day.” Mother sighed. “It’s time it had a new Master,” she eyed the young demon, “and Mistress,” she added with a small smile for Mika.  
  
“A new Master?” Damien asked, amazed at what the old woman was saying.  
  
“Oh, come now. You don’t think you’re the only one, do you?” Mother chuckled, reaching up for the clip that held her bun in place. Her grey hair dropped down in a silver curtain around her shoulders, revealing the two small pointed horns atop her head.  
  
“I can hear your thoughts just as well as you hear mine, young Damien. Though I’ve had a little more practice.” Mother chuckled. “It’s not needed for the job, but it helps.” She admitted with a smile. “I warned you that your life would change. You’re both born with magic. You’ll be able to handle my tiny tea house.” The old demon laughed; a loud, bellowing laugh that had the cranes and peacocks in the garden taking flight.  
  
Mother waved a hand and the screen doors to the room slammed opened of their own accord. A rumble sounded as the floor shook and Damien reached to hold Mika close as the building shifted around them. The walls pulled away. The screens tore, the paper blowing with the rising wind to transform into doves that took flight.  
  
The world shifted and they found themselves on a wooden patio, the garden paths radiating out from it, large and ornate double doors leading back into the tea house. The doors swung open and two rows of servants stepped out to stand at attention.  
  
“I need a vacation before I enjoy my retirement.” Mother informed them all.  She gave a sharp clap of her hands and the doves gathered, moving to hover before the old demon. Stepping up on the birds’ backs, she smiled at the young lovers.  
  
“Prepare yourselves.” She warned the new proprietors of Ichiriki with a chuckle. The doves took to the air, and she called back down to them. “Your dream is only beginning.”  
  
Damien and Mika smiled as they embraced each other; the beauty of the tea house, their tea house, surrounding them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya, Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> And I must say, Sorry for the comma fest!!! to those who read this as I posted it. Ugh...  
> I did a master edit on this entire story today before posting this last chapter to let me wrap it up all nice and neat and wow, did it need work.  
> But it's in a much better place now and I'm proud of it. It's got a nice little polish on it. 
> 
> Big thanks to Chulu and Corvus!! my wonderful betas and muses.  
> I must say, Corvus is the one to come up with Damien finally getting some silence when he's with Mika. I really liked that idea.
> 
> Oh and if you're interested in shamisen music:  
> Kodo – The Yoshida Brothers  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ron17xFNBf0  
> Jongara – Wagakki Band  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LY0tlkIMSA

**Author's Note:**

> A gift for Kitsunesenpai18, who gave me the fun prompt of Mika as a geisha and Damien her patron.


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